Older People in the Russian Labor Market: The Dilemma between Necessity and Life’s Imperatives

In modern Russia, older people regularly face challenges that significantly worsen their position in the labor market and hinder them from securing decent working conditions. Despite their extensive professional experience and accumulated skills, older individuals are forced to accept less prestigious jobs, temporary contracts, or work in the informal sector. The widespread nature of this phenomenon is due to the insufficient level of pension provision, which compels many to continue working in order to maintain an acceptable standard of living. Employment flexibility is becoming an increasingly important factor for older workers, especially in situations where companies seek to reduce working hours or offer less stable forms of employment. Based on secondary data analysis and the results of our own sociological research, it has been found that a significant proportion of older workers in Russia are compelled to choose low-paid jobs or self-employment, which increases the risks of precarization and negatively impacts the quality of their working life. This, in turn, creates preconditions for broader social instability that extends beyond employment issues. The report pays particular attention to analyzing ways to mitigate the negative consequences of precarization and explores prospects for creating more sustainable employment conditions for older people, which represents an important step toward social and economic stability in the context of an aging population.

The research was supported by Russian Science Foundation grant 23-78-10128, https://rscf.ru/en/project/23-78-10128/.