Migrant workers in Russia : global challenges of the shadow economy in societal transformation / edited by Anna-Liisa Heusala and Kaarina Aitamurto.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Introduction: Russian societal transformation and migrant workers in the shadow economy -- 2. Migration policies in Russia: Laws and debates -- 3. Russian foreign policy and migrant workers -- 4. Beyond conjunctures of Russia’s national future: Migrants and refugees in Russia’s political discourse in 2013 and 2014 -- 5. Migration and transnational informality in post-Soviet societies: Ethnographic study of po rukam (‘handshake’) experiences of Uzbek migrant workers in Moscow -- 6. Between exploitation and expulsion: Labour migration, shadow economy and organised crime -- 7. Religion and the integration of migrants -- 8. Implications of migration for the development of Russian social policy -- 9. Conclusions: Societal and political consequences of the shadow economy in Russia -- Index

Russia has a very large pool of economic migrants, up to 25% of the workforce according to some estimates. Although many migrants, many from former Soviet countries which are now independent, entered Russia legally, they frequently face bureaucratic obstacles to legal employment and Russian citizenship, factors which have led to a very large "shadow economy". This book presents a comprehensive examination of migrant labour in Russia. It describes the nature of migrant labour, explores the shadow economy and its unfortunate consequences, and discusses the rise of popular sentiment against migrants and the likely impact. The book also sets the Russian experiences of migrant labour in context, comparing the situation in Russia with that in other countries with significant migrant labour workforces.