Builders run to Russia from East of Belarus

Provincial builders hesitate between Minsk and Moscow.

“We feel shortage of builders. Everyone, everyone. Today, all the best specialists ran away to Russia. They ran away, and work there. Naturally, I cannot say that everything is bad. But there is real shortage of specialists, professionals”, — says director of Mahiliou company "Invest System" Uladzimir Pupianok.

There are no problems with personnel in Minsk so far. Representatives of the enterprise "Minskprambud" say they do not feel shortage of working force, it's rather the other way round. The quantity of employees has increased by 300 people for a half a year, for the cost of builders who arrived from provinces. It's becoming harder and harder to find employment there, while in Minsk it is still possible because of the new housing development.

“It's endurable so far. The demand in our construction administration is not high though, just several people, 5-6 people. Painters, carpenters, plasterers. No high demand. The quantity of employees has increased by 300 people for the recent years, in particular, for the last 6 months, for the cost of Belarusian regions. People keep coming. They don't have enough work at the places where they live - so where else can they go? Minsk, in the first place. And then they start thinking of Russia”.

As for foreign migrant workers, they run away from Minsk. The Vietnamese who worked at the construction of Minsk-Arena did not want to renew the three-years contract. "Minskprambud" claims that such runoff of foreign workers from Belarus is connected with economic difficulties. The Vietnamese get paid with Belarusian roubles.

“They work at different objects here - at "Chyzhouka-Arena", residential buildings, in Surganau Street. This is the second group. The first 90 people worked here for 3 years and started going home since August. There are 90 people left, these are the guys who arrived in the end of last year. They have difficulties with buying currency, naturally. They would want it to be easier”.

Euroradio called several building companies from Moscow, Smalensk and Bransk, but they told us they had no Belarusians working for them. Probably, it is easier for Russian companies to employ Belarusians as their own citizens due to some reason.