In russia, Actual Wages Have Been Compared with rosstat’s Data: Figures Differ Greatly

russia’s state statistics continues to present income figures favorable to the kremlin, while actual wages in the labor market differ significantly. This is evident from a study by researcher at the all-russian scientific research institute of labor vladimir golubyatnikov, who compared official rosstat’s data with databases of actual job postings for 2018–2024.

The main discrepancies between propaganda statistics and the labor market in russia:

Absolute figures: Salaries in actual job postings are noticeably lower than rosstat’s official data, since the job databases contain almost no high-paying executive positions or shift workers, which the agency typically uses to artificially inflate average figures.

Geography of Wealth: According to rosstat, the northern extractive regions are the leaders. However, data from actual job postings paint a completely different picture: the highest earnings are recorded only in moscow, st. petersburg, tatarstan, as well as novosibirsk, rostov, and tyumen regions.

The Struggling north: The European north of the rf, which appears prosperous in official reports, is in fact struggling due to a crisis in the timber processing industry and a decline in well-paid jobs.

The Shadow Economy in the south: In the south of russia, the actual salaries listed in job postings are higher than those reported by rosstat due to widespread informal employment and “grey” income, which the agency is unable to accurately track.

This analysis of the labor market reveals the true state of russia’s economy: due to an acute labor shortage, employers are forced to lower their requirements for candidates (the share of job openings requiring no experience has risen from 42% to 49%), and wage convergence is occurring solely due to the market’s desperate need for workers in sectors such as the defense industry, rather than as a result of the government’s care.