Narva Official: Better Job Opportunities Lure Locals to Russia
The northeastern town of Narva could soon see a substantial rise in the number of its residents heading over the border into Russia's Leningrad Oblast for work, a city official has said.
Vadim Orlov, head of the government's Enterprise and Employment Committee, told rus.err.ee that as many as 50,000 positions are likely come open in that region of Russia over the next three to five years, more than the total number of registered unemployed in Estonia.
"It's a significant market," said Orlov. "The demand for labor is growing, and the salaries there are higher than in Ida-Viru County."
The county, whose economy is based to a large degree on heavy industry, has long been the worst off in Estonia for employment. November 4 statistics show that 12.9 percent of its workforce was registered as unemployed, compared with 7.2 percent for Estonia as a whole.
Leningrad Oblast, by contrast, has hit a 20 year low in registered unemployment, which in recent days was just 0.56 percent, Vesti reported. Orlov said that labor demand there dwarfs the available workforce by two to one.
According to unofficial statistics, around 1,000 Narva residents have already found work in Russia, mainly at an auto parts factory just over the border in Ivangorod, in the Ust-Luga port, and in manufacturing companies in Kingisepp and St. Petersburg.
Orlov said that having more of the local workforce employed over the border is unlikely to hurt the local economy in his town of 65,000.
"The fact that residents of Ida-Viru Country work in Russia is good for the region. It will allow us to survive these difficult times until enough jobs appear in Estonia," he said.
Steve Roman