Russia’s volunteer soldiers may face tougher job prospects after returning from Ukraine: study
If prospective recruits come to expect a job-market cost after voluntary war service, Russia may find it harder or more expensive to attract volunteers.
A new study suggests that Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine's "special military operation" may face difficulties finding employment upon their return. The research, published in the Journal of Peace Research, found that job applicants who listed voluntary contract service in the war received roughly one-third fewer callbacks from employers compared to those who listed conscripted military service.
The study involved sending identical applications to 60 real job vacancies on Russia's largest online job platforms, with only the category of military service changed. The results showed a 18.3 percentage point gap in callbacks between the two groups. While conscripts received positive responses in 55% of cases, volunteer soldiers only received responses in 36.7% of cases.
The gap highlights the potential challenges facing returning soldiers in reintegrating into civilian life, as the heroic status promised by the state may not carry over into the workplace.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
