What was the secret of the "Russian miracle" of low unemployment?

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Back in the 2000s, against the backdrop of rapid economic growth, many Russian employers began to complain about difficulties in hiring new employees. These difficulties could be explained by various factors, but the main reason was the desire of employers to hire high-quality workers at a low price. The crisis of 2008-2009 stopped the flow of complaints, but by the end of the next decade they became more frequent again.

Since the late Soviet era, officials luxembourg whatsapp number database have considered unemployment to be one of the main threats to the country, the economy, and, apparently, not least to themselves and their careers. The lower it is, the better! They punished mass layoffs, subsidized unprofitable employment, turned a blind eye to non-payments and administrative leave. It seemed to be "not bad". Despite a series of crises, including quite deep ones, unemployment remained moderate, and if it did increase for some time, it was not for long and then quickly decreased. Each time, this was perceived either as a miracle or as the government's incredible ability to prevent this "scourge". But neither explanation is suitable. The main tool for solving the problem has always been references to the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee, ready to "visit" employers trying to reduce staff. However, the overwhelming majority of layoffs have always been voluntary, and the majority of all employment in Russia has been and is, if not in the shadow, then in the penumbra, in a segment in which labor laws are known only by hearsay.

Model crisis
This "miracle", like any other, must have a simple explanation. If your economy has flexible wages with a large variable component, low minimum wages and unemployment benefits, high dismissal costs and a significant semi- and informal sector, then you are not threatened by high unemployment as defined by generally accepted statistical criteria. It is replaced by a large share of bad jobs with low wages. All this creates significant room for adjustment through wages, leaving formal employment heavily regulated. The standard concept of unemployment works poorly here. That is how it was, and that is how it is. All the institutions of the labor market seem to be in developed countries, but they function as in developing countries. The International Labor Organization (ILO) is well acquainted with such a story.

Gradually, the situation began to change. Back in the 2000s, against the backdrop of rapid economic growth, many employers began to complain about difficulties in hiring new employees. These difficulties could be explained by various factors, but the main reason was the desire of employers to hire high-quality workers at a low price. The crisis of 2008-2009 stopped the flow of complaints, but by the end of the next decade they became more frequent again. Now they are heard from every iron, and forecasts are breaking records. There have never been so many unfilled vacancies. Minister of Labor Anton Kotyakov estimates the additional need for workers by 2030 at about 2 million people.
What has changed?