Russia is considering lowering the working age to 12 and reopening Soviet-era child labor camps.

The Government of Vladimir Putin is analyzing a controversial reform that could lower the minimum working age to 12 years and reopen child labor camps similar to those used during the Soviet era.

The initiative arises in a context of deep labor shortages, exacerbated by the impact of the war in Ukraine and the demographic crisis facing the country.

The proposal is driven by the children's rights advocate in Moscow, Olga Yaroslavskaya, who raised the need to modify existing legislation to allow younger teenagers to enter the labor market, at least partially during vacation.

“When we talk to teenagers aged 12 and older, almost all of them want to work in the summer,” the official stated during a press conference on child safety. In this regard, she argued that the measure would allow young people to earn “a little money” and occupy their time in a structured way.

Currently, Russian regulations allow the employment of minors from the age of 14 with parental consent, or from 15 independently. However, Yaroslavskaya believes that this framework is insufficient given the current situation and emphasized that “it is no secret that we need to change federal labor legislation.”

One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the possible reactivation of child labor camps, a common practice during the Soviet Union. The official defended this idea by asserting that these spaces could provide support and organization for teenagers, especially those whose families cannot afford prolonged recreational activities.

“I believe that the return of labor camps is a realistic scenario that our children will support,” she declared in an interview with the radio station Govorit Moskva.

To support her position, Yaroslavskaya recalled her own experience in such programs: “In seventh grade, we were taken to weed tomatoes in 40-degree heat in a barrack in the middle of the fields.” She added: “We survived, and besides, I brought home 120 rubles.”

The backdrop of these proposals is directly linked to the increasing pressure on the Russian labor market. Economists warn that the lack of workers has become a structural problem that could affect economic growth in the coming years.

According to estimates from Bloomberg, Russia needs around 1.5 million additional workers to balance its labor market. Meanwhile, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs projects a deficit of up to three million workers by 2030.

The crisis is deepened by several simultaneous factors: a historically low birth rate, the emigration of up to one million young professionals following the onset of the war, and a high mortality rate among young men in the war with Ukraine, where it is estimated that around 1.5 million Russian soldiers have died or been injured.

In this scenario, Russian authorities are evaluating controversial measures to sustain economic activity, even if it involves revising historically established labor limits.