An Aging Workforce Dims Russia’s Economic Forecast

MIN READJan 23, 2020 | 10:00 GMT

People walk down a busy street in Moscow. Russia's aging workforce will greatly suppress the country's economic growth over the next decade.

(Shutterstock/Anton Gvozdikov)

Russia's population has long been projected to shrink in the coming decades due to high emigration and low birth rates. But recent projections forecast an even faster reduction than previously anticipated, raising new concerns over the severity of the country's demographic decline and the potential impact on the Russian economy. For now, extended retirement ages and an upcoming boom of young workers will help Moscow temporarily manage the effects of its demographic decline -- though that won't keep Russia from hemorrhaging the high-quality workers needed to keep its economy chugging in the meantime....