Attracting foreign labor as a way to overcome the shortage of personnel: opportunities and risks

Attracting foreign labor as a way to overcome the shortage of personnel: opportunities and risks due to the discrepancy between the characteristics and expectations of the workforce (including expectations of wages and working conditions) to the requirements and conditions of employers. The projected GDP growth, the steady trend of population aging, and an increase in the number of citizens of the Republic of Belarus working abroad are increasing the existing "personnel shortage" in such economic activities as construction, healthcare, industry, and agriculture. The purpose of the study is to assess the prospects of applying the practice of organized recruitment of foreign labor to solve the problem of personnel shortages in business entities of the Republic of Belarus, to identify possible risks and threats of a demographic, social, and economic nature. Statistical and administrative data from government agencies for the period 2014–2024 were used as the empirical basis of the study. Research methods: general scientific (analysis, synthesis), statistical (method of descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis of the assessment of the relationship of socio-economic phenomena). The study confirmed the existence of a direct link between labor immigration and certain indicators of the labor market (labor force participation rate, employment rate). Administrative barriers in the application of the practice of attracting foreign labor have been identified: peculiarities of interaction between citizenship and migration departments and labor, employment and social protection authorities; absence of special requirements for business entities engaged in intermediary activities in the field of personnel recruitment among foreign citizens; there is no single regulation for the certification of foreign labor, etc. It has been proven that organized recruitment of foreign labor can be used as a targeted short-term measure to fill the shortage of personnel. In the long term, efforts should be focused on developing the domestic workforce. Practical recommendations on improving the procedure for the organized recruitment of foreign labor for the Republic of Belarus, the possible negative consequences of using such a tool to fill the shortage of personnel, including a "migration trap", a decrease in the quality of products (works, services), and a potential increase in labor market tensions, have been identified. The results of the study can be used by government agencies to minimize the risks of organized recruitment of foreign labor.