Read about whether couriers' salaries are really so high that measures should be taken to reduce them in order to achieve social justice and balance in the personnel sphere in the RIA Novosti article.
The work of a courier attracted close attention from all of Russian society throughout 2024 due to periodically appearing information about a sharp increase in salaries in this area. The work of a courier began to be looked at with some envy, although the difficult conditions of courier work were noted. There were statements that couriers earn "too much" and it was time to close this "shop". Finally, some officials began to consider couriers a threat to the Russian economy. However, the question arises: maybe it is not couriers who have high salaries, but workers in other areas, such as teachers and doctors, who have low salaries?
Couriers are draining labor resources from the economy
Photo - © Nikolay Vinokurov / Lori Photobank
In early December, Nikita Kuznetsov, Director of the Department for Domestic Trade Development at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at a roundtable discussion entitled “The Future of Digital Platforms bahamas mobile database and Ecosystems: Searching for a Reasonable Balance of Regulation” that high demand for delivery services is creating serious problems for the Russian economy. According to him, at least 1.5 million couriers, as well as about half a million packers, order pickers, and other employees are currently working in the Russian Federation. Together, they have already weaned “a significant portion of consumers… from the banal skill of simply going shopping,” while the services themselves are unprofitable, and their work is supported by other resources.
"That is, unprofitable services draw such a scarce resource as labor force from other, including productive, sectors of the economy. In fact, these forces are drawn from still profitable sectors of the economy, or from those sectors that can grow. For example, production - now there would be ideal conditions, if not for certain banking things - for economic growth, but there is a shortage of labor force. And an unproductive, and even unprofitable segment, subsidized by someone, it draws these labor forces, worsening the economic situation of profitable segments," Kuznetsov noted.
According to the official, the shortage of personnel is currently a key problem in industry and trade.
"Where is wealth formed? As is known from economics - in industry. How can this be if a courier earns 120-150 thousand rubles in Moscow? Not to mention that this is more than a university professor," the representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade added.
Against the backdrop of sharp price increases, couriers' salaries are adequate
Photo - © Nikolay Vinokurov / Lori Photobank
RIA Novosti asked experts whether couriers’ salaries can really be called too high and unfair in relation to other professions?
Against the backdrop of rising prices, couriers' salaries look adequate, since their work is hard, associated with risks and high workload, so it is difficult to call them overpriced, especially considering their contribution to convenience for society, says Vadim Chermoshentsev, founder of PayPeople.
"Comparisons are often made with the salaries of representatives of other professions (teachers, engineers, doctors). The problem is not the high salaries of couriers, but that the salaries of teachers, doctors and engineers are really understated. This reflects an imbalance in resource allocation priorities and insufficient support for key social professions," the expert comments.