There are 38% fewer men aged 20-29, and recruitment and immigration continue to squeeze the labor market. From 2010 to 2024, the number of men aged 20-29 decreased by 4.59 million people, or almost 38%: from 12.18 to 7.59 million. After February 2022, about 650,000 people left the country, of which 58% were men, most of them of working age. The economy's need for labor by 2032 exceeds 12 million workers, about 15 thousand factories already report a historically low supply of labor, and in some industries the shortage reaches 40-50%. At the same time, the recruitment order for 2026 stipulates the deployment of 261 thousand people aged 18-30, when about 1.2 million university and college graduates will enter the labor market. Youth unemployment also increased: in May 2026 there were 353,000 unemployed people aged 15-25, 67,000 (almost a quarter) more than a year earlier, and their share in the total number of unemployed increased from 17.3% to 22%. The mechanism consists of several layers. The demographic hole is due to immigration and conscription, and the state is simultaneously filling the army and losing workers to the civilian economy. Since 2026, medical examinations and recruitment committees have been operating year-round, and electronic summonses and digital records reduce the procedure's dependence on a personal visit to the military registration and recruitment office. Failure to appear will result in a fine of 10,000-30,000 rubles, and if there is evidence of a crime under Article 328 of the Criminal Code, up to two years in prison are possible. At the same time, temporary restrictions apply: on travel, registration of individual and self-employed entrepreneurs, transactions with real estate and cars, driving and receiving loans. Therefore, military registration directly affects the economic independence of young people. Human rights activists also report harsher methods. On May 19, a young man was arrested in the Moscow metro; On May 20, he was sent to a military unit, despite attempts by relatives to present documents.

There are 38% fewer men aged 20-29, and recruitment and immigration continue to squeeze the labor market. From 2010 to 2024, the number of men aged 20-29 decreased by 4.59 million people, or almost 38%: from 12.18 to 7.59 million. After February 2022, about 650,000 people left the country, of which 58% were men, most of them of working age. The economy's need for labor by 2032 exceeds 12 million workers, about 15 thousand factories already report a historically low supply of labor, and in some industries the shortage reaches 40-50%. At the same time, the recruitment order for 2026 stipulates the deployment of 261 thousand people aged 18-30, when about 1.2 million university and college graduates will enter the labor market. Youth unemployment also increased: in May 2026 there were 353,000 unemployed people aged 15-25, 67,000 (almost a quarter) more than a year earlier, and their share in the total number of unemployed increased from 17.3% to 22%. The mechanism consists of several layers. The demographic hole is due to immigration and conscription, and the state is simultaneously filling the army and losing workers to the civilian economy. Since 2026, medical examinations and recruitment committees have been operating year-round, and electronic summonses and digital records reduce the procedure's dependence on a personal visit to the military registration and recruitment office. Failure to appear will result in a fine of 10,000-30,000 rubles, and if there is evidence of a crime under Article 328 of the Criminal Code, up to two years in prison are possible. At the same time, temporary restrictions apply: on travel, registration of individual and self-employed entrepreneurs, transactions with real estate and cars, driving and receiving loans. Therefore, military registration directly affects the economic independence of young people. Human rights activists also report harsher methods. On May 19, a young man was arrested in the Moscow metro; On May 20, he was sent to a military unit, despite attempts by relatives to present documents.