Russia wants to 'introduce an unlimited number' of Indians
According to reports from roadside agencies, Putin and Modi have achieved a series of results during their meeting. The joint statement released by both sides indicates that Russia and India will carry out multiple large-scale cooperation plans in the fields of politics, security, economy, finance, transportation, energy, education, and culture. Seeing this ambitious plan, the bystanders are already a bit excited. Because both Russia and India are known for dragging their feet, let’s see who can procrastinate more at that time. Putin stated that both sides signed a series of intergovernmental, interdepartmental, and intercompany agreements aimed at expanding economic cooperation between Russia and India. Modi expressed that both sides aim to increase bilateral trade to 100 billion dollars by 2030. Why are the onlookers not optimistic about the ambitions between Russia and India? A very realistic question: Russia lacks people and is xenophobic. Russia is already vast with a sparse population, its own industries are struggling to sustain, and the war in recent years has consumed a lot of young adults, leading to a serious employment gap.
Therefore, the bystanders predict that the cooperation between the two countries will mostly be loud thunder with little rain. However, what is well-known to the bystanders, Putin and Modi naturally understand, as they have anticipated the predictions of the bystanders. Russia needs people, but there are plenty of Indians. India currently does not lack people at all. On December 5, Modi stated at the Indo-Russian Business Forum held in New Delhi that India is the emerging 'World Skills Capital', and India's young talent has the ability to meet global demands in multiple fields. Modi said that given Russia's population and economic development priorities, strengthening labor cooperation will benefit both countries. He also suggested that India and Russia could cooperate to provide Russian language and soft skills training for Indian workers. — The implication is that India will export a large number of 'talents' to Russia.
On December 5, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov stated that Russia is ready to accept an 'unlimited number' of technical workers from India to help solve domestic labor shortages. According to Manturov, there is a shortage of at least 800,000 in Russia's manufacturing sector; the trade sector faces about 1.5 million job vacancies; and the service and construction sectors also need skilled professionals. In short, Russia wants to introduce a large number of Indians to fill the workforce gaps. At this point, the bystanders begin to speculate: after Indians occupy Western countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, they are now starting to occupy Russia. Several years later, Indians will be the leaders of the global village. The rumors in public opinion that the future belongs to India are certainly not unfounded. So is it necessarily a bad thing for Russia to introduce a large number of Indians? In terms of total population, Russia has 144 million (ranked ninth in the world), which is indeed not many, but it is also not too few; it is still the most populous country in Europe. The reasons for Russia's labor shortages are as follows:
1. The territory is too large, making the population seem small. The resources are too abundant, and one can easily get enough to eat and drink by doing anything, showing little interest in internal competition.
2. The birth rate of the main population, the East Slavs, has dropped significantly, and aging is worsening. From Peter the Great to Stalin, industrialization relied entirely on East Slavs. After World War II, the birth rate of East Slavs declined and has not recovered. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia relied on energy and arms, leading to the shrinkage of other industrial chains, further decreasing the birth rate of East Slavs.
3. The Muslim population has increased significantly. However, they are enthusiastic about childbirth and not interested in work. Currently, Muslims account for nearly 20% of Russia's population, which is among the highest in European countries. In fact, Russia's demographic structure is worse than that of the United States. If this trend continues, in two to three generations, Muslims will become the mainstream group in Russia, controlling the world's largest nuclear arsenal. Trump said that the civilization of European countries is declining, which not only refers to EU countries but also applies to Russia. So can bringing in Indians solve the employment gap in Russia? If Russia wants to bring in Indians, it is likely to succeed. Because there are simply too many Indians, and Indians are good at banding together. If one Indian establishes roots in Russia, they will bring over all their relatives, cousins, uncles, and aunts. However, relying on Indians to solve the employment gap in Russia is unlikely to work.
Because skilled Indians are also in demand in India and are unlikely to easily move to Russia. Those willing to go to Russia are likely the ones who cannot make it in India. India, for all its circumstances, is still in a phase of rapid development. If they cannot succeed in rapidly developing India, what competitiveness do they have? If Russia recruits them to fill the gaps in the industrial chain, the products they produce are likely to have no market competitiveness.
However, it may not be entirely bad for Indians to go to Russia. The fertility rate in Indian cities has significantly declined, but the grassroots birth rate is still quite high. If Russia introduces grassroots Indians, it will help increase the population birth rate. In this way, at least the new population growth in Russia is not entirely Muslim. Hindus in India have long been in opposition to Muslims. When Russia has Hindu believers, the relationship with Muslims will not be harmonious. This way, Russia can divide and rule among minority ethnic groups that believe in different religions. In short, if Russia introduces a large number of Indians, it is likely not to meet expectations, but it is not entirely a bad thing either. For China, Russia's introduction of Indians could serve as a case study, as the number of Indians coming to China is also increasing.
