AI could help tackle labor shortage – top Kremlin official

New technology could help boost productivity, Maksim Oreshkin has said

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help Russia boost productivity and overcome problems caused by demographic decline, the deputy head of the presidential administration said on Monday.

Speaking at the ‘Inventing the Future’ international symposium, Maksim Oreshkin noted that new technology is making its way into all sectors of the economy and driving global growth.

“Artificial intelligence is our future, which will increasingly penetrate many areas of our lives,” he stated. “It will be a leading factor in global growth, especially in the context of the demographic changes that we see in our country and around the world.”

This year Russia recorded its lowest birth rate in 25 years, with 599,600 babies born in the first six months. Last year, the fertility rate of 1.41 was Russia’s lowest in 17 years, according to official statistics.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko warned earlier this year that Russia is facing a “terrible” demographic crisis that could result in an acute labor shortage of up to 2.4 million workers by 2030.

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Recent studies have shown that Russian companies across the economy are facing an acute lack of both skilled and unskilled workers this year.

According to Oreshkin, who covers economy and transport in the presidential administration, a potential way of solving demographic problems is to increase efficiency and productivity – including through automation, and harnessing artificial intelligence.

“The shortage of personnel that our country is facing and one of the answers to it is AI technologies, which will allow us to grow faster, not by increasing the number of employees, but by increasing efficiency and productivity,” he explained.

According to a recent study by consulting companies Trust Technologies and Knomary, 44% of Russian companies already use artificial intelligence to search for new employees. Neural networks assist headhunters at Russia’s major companies such as Rostelecom, Russian Railways and Dom.RF.