Dynamics and structure of informal employment in modern Russian society 

Lyudmila N. Mordisheva, Candidate of sociological sciences, associate professor of the sub-department of management and public administration, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), mordisheva@bk.ru

Background. In many cases, informal employment is forced and associated with vulnerability and discrimination of workers, who may be limited in wages, social protection, professional growth and promotion, etc. The state and trends associated with the sphere of informal employment require constant monitoring. To make the right economic decisions, it is important to have timely information. The purpose of the work is to study the level, structure and dynamics of informal employment in the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, secondary analysis of data provided by the Federal State Statistics Service and the Russian Public Opinion Research Center was used. During the study, systemic and institutional approaches were applied. Results. The category of informal employment includes carrying out labor activities in the informal sector and carrying out labor activities in the formal sector without formalizing labor relations. The average age of people employed in the informal sector is growing and in 2023 was 41.5 years. Despite the fact that Russian society has a fairly high tolerance for “black” earnings, the number of such payments is decreasing. Conclusions. The study showed a decrease in the number of people employed in the informal sector in 2017-2023 and a decrease in the number of people employed simultaneously in the formal and informal sectors.  

informal employment, illegal employment, labor market, sociology of labor, Russia

Mordisheva L.N. Dynamics and structure of informal employment in modern Russian society. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Ob-shchestvennye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Social sciences. 2024;(2): 33–44. (In Russ.). doi: 10.21685/2072-3016-2024-2-3