Russia's Deputy contemplates drafting a legislation on inactivity or idleness
In July 2025, publications reported that Russia has demanded the return of the 'parasitism law'. This legislation, which criminalised idleness and refusal to work, was initially part of Soviet legislation in 1961 but was abolished in 1991. However, the current status of its potential revival remains under discussion, with mixed public opinion and significant neutrality.
Discussions about the law's revival began in the mid-2010s, but economist and deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma, Anatoly Nikitin, believes the likelihood of its adoption in Russia is currently low. Nikitin, who views the law as inherently ineffective, suggests increasing the minimum wage as a means to incentivise official employment instead.
The unemployment rate in Russia, at 2.3% in December 2024, is at a historic low, according to data from Rosstat. Yet, economists caution that this very low rate may harm the economy by driving inflation and straining the labor market.
Public opinions on the 'parasite' label vary, with 46% seeing it as someone refusing to work, 24% as living off relatives or the state, and others linking it to lack of ambition or dependency. A recent state poll found that about one in three Russians support an unemployment tax, a measure related to the Soviet-era parasitism law. However, 36% of respondents were neutral on the matter.
Some lawmakers, such as those from St. Petersburg, have advocated for the necessity to restore the prestige of labor. Proposed alternatives for addressing unemployment include an unemployment tax, military conscription of unemployed individuals, and addressing labor shortages through wage adjustments and recruitment in defence sectors.
However, no clear mainstream alternative policies to the parasitism law have been detailed publicly, with the discourse suggesting a focus on financial penalties and compulsory service rather than expansive social welfare reforms.
Deputy Chair of the Labor Committee, Elena Tsuneeva, stated the absence of initiatives to revive the law. In today's Russia, various forms of employment (self-employment, childcare) are already recognised, as emphasised by Tsuneeva.
Significant disproportions in unemployment rates exist in certain regions. For instance, unemployment rates of 25.5% in Ingushetia and 11.5% in Dagestan were reported. As of June 2025, there were around 1,200 active vacancies registered in Ingushetia, while there were over 20,000 officially registered unemployed people, highlighting a clear shortage of jobs in certain regions, especially in small towns.
Nikitin predicts that the minimum wage could reach 35,000 rubles by 2028. He also referred to the example of Belarus, where a "decree on parasites" was introduced in 2015, requiring a fee for citizens who were officially unemployed. The implementation of this decree sparked mass protests in 2017, after which it was suspended, as emphasised by Nikitin.
In conclusion, the idea of reviving the parasitism law or imposing an unemployment tax has divided public opinion with considerable ambivalence. The low unemployment rate and demographic pressures related to defence priorities complicate this policy area, prompting ongoing debate about the most effective and socially acceptable way to manage unemployment and labor participation in modern Russia.
- Amidst the ongoing debate about the potential revival of the 'parasitism law', there has been a focus on financial penalties and compulsory service as viable alternatives, rather than expansive social welfare reforms, as highlighted in the discussions about policy-and-legislation and politics.
- Economist and deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma, Anatoly Nikitin, believes the likelihood of the adoption of the 'parasitism law' in Russia is currently low, and he suggests increasing the minimum wage as a means to incentivise official employment instead, following the failed example of Belarus' "decree on parasites".
