Over the first three months of this year, the representative office of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population (MoLMEP) in Russia has helped 49 Tajik labor migrants to recover unpaid salary, a total of more than 2.2 million Russian rubles, from dishonest employers 

According to information posted on the MoLMEP office’s Facebook, 49 Tajik migrant workers have applied to the office over the reporting period for help in recovering unpaid salaries from their employers.  

Thus, it was revealed during the consideration of applications, that one Russian construction company have  not paid a five-month salary to Tajik national A.S., totaling 327,800 rubles.  

Besides, Russian dishonest employers have not paid 175,000 rubles to Tajik national N.H., 40,000 rubles to Tajik national G.S., and 100,000 rubles to Tajik national J. S., despite the fact that they have fulfilled all the requirements of the employers.

After receiving applications from these Tajik nationals, the office has reportedly contacted employers -- top managers of construction companies --, and discussed the issue of paying wages to the migrant workers.  

As a result, the employers have reimbursed 642,800 rubles to these labor migrants.  

The MoLMEP’s office in Russia recommends that Tajik labor migrants conclude employment contracts with their employers before starting work.  Besides, they also must inform the Interior Ministry of their employment within two months from the date of receipt of a work patent by sending a copy of the employment contract. 

The Russian Federation is the major destination country for Tajik migrants (97.6%).  Many factors play in the Russian Federation being the major destination.  The Tajikistan–Russian Federation shared past governance, language commonalities, mutually recognized university degrees/diplomas, visa-free entry, significant wage differentials and existing migrant network and experience, which are major reasons why Tajikistan’s labor migrants choose the Russian Federation as their destination country. 

Tajikistan’s economy is not creating enough jobs for its rapidly growing labor force.  Tajikistan is one of the world’s top five remittance-recipient countries measured by its relative size to gross domestic product (GDP).  Labor migrants are still a critical component in the country’s economy and remittances keep many families at home above the poverty line.