Russia\u2019s major industrial giants \u2014 from cement, automotive, and metal producers to railways and the coal sector \u2014 are being forced to send employees on unpaid leave or switch to shorter workweeks amid an economic slowdown, falling domestic demand, and shrinking exports, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n
At least six major companies in Russia\u2019s mining and transport sectors have reduced the length of the workweek in an effort to cut payroll expenses without officially increasing unemployment.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s largest cement producer, Cemros, has introduced a four-day workweek until the end of the year due to a sharp drop in construction activity and rising imports of cement from China, Iran, and Belarus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a necessary anti-crisis measure. The goal is to preserve all staff,\u201d said company representative Sergei Koshkin.<\/p>\n
Cement consumption in Russia is expected to fall below 60 million tons this year, returning to levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Russian automotive giants GAZ, KamAZ, and AvtoVAZ have also switched to shortened work schedules, while the state railway monopoly RZD is urging employees to take additional unpaid days off.<\/p>\n
In mining regions such as Kuzbass, dozens of coal mines have already shut down, leaving thousands of miners jobless.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s largest diamond producer, Alrosa, has cut its workforce by 10% and halted operations at less profitable deposits.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s metallurgical industry is also struggling. Despite being the fifth-largest steel producer in the world, the government is reportedly considering a moratorium on bankruptcies in the sector.<\/p>\n
Due to high interest rates, a strong ruble, and weak demand, many companies are trimming support staff while preparing to adopt shorter workweeks to avoid mass layoffs.<\/p>\n
The wood-processing industry has likewise been hit: Sveza, a major plywood producer, closed its Tyumen plant amid falling furniture demand, resulting in over 300 job losses.<\/p>\n
According to analysts, Russia\u2019s civilian industries have contracted by 5.4% since the beginning of the year, and GDP growth in 2025 could fall to just 1%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":150412,"menu_order":0,"template":"","newscat":[9],"newstag":[],"issues":[],"class_list":["post-150411","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","newscat-novosti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/150411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"newscat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newscat?post=150411"},{"taxonomy":"newstag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newstag?post=150411"},{"taxonomy":"issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldaily.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues?post=150411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}