Overview
- In early June Moscow children’s rights ombud Olga Jaroslawskaja publicly suggested allowing 12‑year‑olds to take summer jobs and raised the idea of reintroducing Soviet‑style youth work camps, with the remarks reported by multiple outlets.
- Under current Russian law teenagers may work from age 14 with parental consent and can sign employment contracts independently at 15, so Jaroslawskaja’s suggestions would require formal legal changes.
- Officials and industry analyses say Russia now lacks roughly 1.5 million workers and could face up to a three‑million shortfall by 2030, a gap they connect to the Ukraine war, falling birthrates and the emigration of skilled people.
- Jaroslawskaja framed her proposal with a personal Soviet‑era anecdote and told reporters many 12‑year‑olds say they want summer work, but her comments are proposals reported in the media and have not been enacted by the government.
- The debate is colliding with government moves to increase patriotic content in schools, raising legal and child‑welfare questions and making it likely lawmakers, the Education Ministry and the Kremlin will be watched for any formal policy steps.