Russia’s calling fades for Tajik migrants

According to the World Bank, Tajikistan is more dependent on remittances than any other country in the world.

42 per cent of the country’s economy relies on the money sent by Tajik migrants working mostly in Russia.

But the combination of new restrictions on immigration introduced by the Kremlin and the falling rouble are deeply affecting Tajikistan, the poorest of Central Asian Republics.

As financial analyst Bekhruz Khimo told radio Ozodi, remittances are expected to have decreased by up to 20 per cent during the second half of 2014.

As the exchange rate of the rouble plunges, migrants and their families lose a great share of the hard-earned money as they exchange it into local currency.

While in June, one Tajik somoni was worth less than seven roubles, it is now worth more than 11 roubles.

In September 2014, the Russian migration service counted 1.2 million citizens from Tajikistan, a country of only eight million, on the territory of the Russian Federation.

And despite the currency crisis, many are still planning to try their luck in Russia.

“I can’t find any job here, I can’t earn any money,” says Alisher, a 24-year old man from Shahristan, in the North of Tajikistan.

“But there is always something to build, something to clean, something to load in Russia.”

 

A grim job market

Like many of his generation, Alisher has been struggling to find a stable job since he finished university in 2012.

The World Bank records an unemployment rate of almost 11 per cent for 2013, the highest in Central Asia. But human rights organisations believe it could be as high as 40 per cent.

Job opportunities are meagre, while the average salary of US$175 is the lowest of the former Soviet Union.

The job market in Tajikistan is marked by an extensive informal economy, where the agricultural sector offers both the most jobs but also the lowest wages.

After the murder of her husband, Gulnora, from Kanibadam, in the northern Sughd province of Tajikistan, was left alone with her two children.

“I had to work in the fields every day to feed my children and myself. There was no other work available. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I made up my mind and left to Russia.”

She has been living in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don for seven years with her two children, Tolik, 11 and Tatyana, 9.

“I brought them up not to be called “churka” (a slang term for illegal workers from ex-Soviet republics). They changed names, their Russian citizenship... my children retain nothing from their motherland.”

Gulnora works in a bakery from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m, six days a week. Compared to her former life, her salary has increased from 120 Tajik somoni (US$23) to 40,000 roubles (US$590) per month.

Nonetheless, many of those who manage to reach Russia have to accept working below market wages.

Umed, a qualified Tajik engineer, has been living in Noginsk, near Moscow, for four years.

“From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. I’m working as a loader in a warehouse. I earn 25,000 roubles (US$370) per month, but my Russian colleagues that do the same work earn 40,000 (US$590). I have no rights so I have to accept it. If I cause any trouble they will just fire me.”

Aware of this importance of remittances for the economy, the Tajik government encourages the migration of its citizens, as the cash influx they generate is seen as a social stabiliser.

Since 2013, it even issues “migrant notes”, a document that contains practical advices for migrants planning to work in Russia.

The government has also opened specific Russian classes aimed at potential migrants.

A student of the Pedagogical University, one of the leading institutes in the country, recalls a speech by the rector: “Learn languages! If you know Chinese, go work in China. If you know English, French or German, go to Europe. If you know Russian, go work in Russia.”

No mention, however, of work in Tajikistan.