According to HeadHunter data for August 2026, the number of active job postings decreased by 13% year-on-year, while the number of active resumes rose by 22%. The hh index, representing the ratio of resumes to vacancies, reached 8.7, up from 3.5 in August 2024 and 6.1 in August 2025.
The labor market shows significant sector-specific disparities. The index is 2.4 for retail, 4.4 for medicine, and 4.7 for manual labor. In contrast, the competition is much higher in office and IT sectors, with indices reaching 26.4 for IT and 30 for advertising and PR.
Data from the Central Bank of Russia indicates that the labor shortage index for non-financial enterprises was -19.7 points in Q2 2026, an improvement from -30.6 in Q1 2025. Simultaneously, expectations for staff expansion dropped from 8.4 points to 1.1 points over the same period.
The 'Experience Premium' index shows that median salary offers for employees with over three years of experience were 58% higher than for those with less than three years as of June 2026, compared to a 50% gap in January 2026. Employers are increasingly prioritizing experienced candidates who require less training.
