Russia turns to India, Sri Lanka for way out of its labour crisis

For years, Russia relied on migrants from Central Asia to fill gaps in its workforce. As demographics and the war in Ukraine drive the sharpest labor crisis in decades, recruiters are casting a wider net across some of the world’s most populous countries. Russia estimates the economy needs 11 million more laborers by the end of the decade. The issue was high on the agenda during President Vladimir Putin’s December visit to New Delhi, when officials signed an agreement aimed at simplifying procedures for temporary labor migration. Even before the deal, the number of employment permits Russia issued for Indians…