Most Russian Students Want to Find Jobs Abroad

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – August 26, 2014) Three of every four Russian university students would prefer to work abroad rather than in Russia, Newsru.com reported Monday, citing a survey conducted by Career.ru.

The survey revealed that 77 percent of Russian students found the prospect of overseas employment more appealing than working at home. Those most hopeful for overseas jobs were students completing their degrees in marketing and the humanities, the survey showed, while those studying medical and pedagogical degrees were more inclined to stay in Russia.

Half of the survey’s respondents attributed their desire to find employment overseas to a higher standard of living there, and 36 percent were prepared to relocate for the long term.

Forty-six percent of respondents cited Europe as their ideal destination, while 10 percent said they were aiming to move to the U.S.

The survey was conducted from July 25 to Aug. 11 among 1,217 students. No margin of error was provided.

According to a Hays study from last December, Russia will have the world’s biggest labor deficit by 2030. The country will need an additional 17 million specialists due to brain drain and declining demographics.