As the conflict in Ukraine enters its second year, Russian workers are experiencing the longest workdays in nearly two decades. The average workday in Russia has reached 7.17 hours in 2023, marking a 0.9% increase (or 4 minutes) from the previous year, according to data released by Rosstat and reported by RBC.
Throughout the year, the total working hours per employee rose by 17.3 hours, reaching 1.77 thousand hours. This set a new record for the highest annual and daily work hours since Rosstat began keeping records in 2005.
The last peak in workday length was observed in 2019, before the pandemic, with an average workday of 7.15 hours and an annual total of 1.76 thousand hours. However, the pandemic and subsequent economic challenges in 2020 led to a slight decrease in work hours.
In 2023, the fisheries and fish farming sector saw the highest workday length, averaging 8.21 hours. Following closely were employees in administrative activities and related services at 7.61 hours, and those in the mining of metal ores at 7.6 hours.
Healthcare and social services workers, along with bus, trolleybus, and metro drivers, also reported long hours, averaging around 7.46 to 7.47 hours per day. In contrast, employees in air and space transport and coal mining had shorter workdays, averaging between 6.14 to 6.56 hours.
Experts attribute the increase in work hours in 2023 primarily to an acute shortage of personnel and low labor productivity. Alexander Safonov, a professor at the Government Financial University, notes that companies are responding naturally to staff shortages by extending work hours. Additionally, the industry's inability to increase shift numbers has led to the lengthening of existing shifts, explains Natalya Danina, chief labor market expert at HH.ru. She highlights the concurrent rise in records for both unemployment and working hours.
This trend underscores the complex interplay between labor demands, economic pressures, and the ongoing conflict, shaping a challenging work environment for many Russians.
