Why We Fear Layoffs Even When There's No One to Work

According to a survey by Kp.ru, 67% of working Russians fear layoffs. Nearly half of them (45%) do not believe they could quickly find a new job if they were to lose their current one. Only one in five respondents (22%) remains calm about the possibility of dismissal. The rest live in a state of constant internal tension: even loyal employees, even those who have been «in good standing» for years, even those who outwardly project confidence and engagement.

These numbers seem paradoxical. Superjob founder and president Alexei Zakharov told MSK1.RU that surveys conducted by his portal paint the opposite picture: «The absolute majority of people are not afraid of layoffs at all right now. Yes, a layoff is stressful, but people are confident they will find a job very quickly.»

«The Old Will Leave, and the Young Won’t Come»

Zakharov explains this by the overall labor market situation, where the main trend is the physical reduction of the working-age population. As a result, the expert says, employers continue to lower qualification requirements while being forced to pay more and more.

«If such a study had been done about 15 years ago, I would have said: yes, the fear was understandable back then. Now, it»s strange to fear layoffs. People behave more boldly with employers and understand: if a company doesn«t care about me, I»ll find a new job tomorrow. Requirements are dropping, employers are showing more flexibility, offering flexible schedules, trying to retain the older generation because they understand: the old will leave, and the young won’t come. They simply aren«t there,» Zakharov paints an extremely bleak picture.

Labor Market Frenzy Is Subsiding

Other experts interviewed by MSK1.RU are more optimistic. For instance, HR expert and career consultant Kristina Lebedeva observes that Russia«s labor market is experiencing not a decline… but a transformation.

«The Russian labor market faces not a crisis in the traditional sense, but a painful yet necessary transformation. The era when an employee»s value was determined by their mere presence on the payroll is ending. The time of meaningful productivity is coming. The focus is shifting from the slogan «retain the worker at any cost» to the strategy «work more efficiently and meaningfully»,« says Lebedeva.

According to her observations, since the start of 2025, hiring and salary increase plans have become more moderate, and the dynamics of job postings and resumes on HR sites point to a decrease in the frenzy.

«Business, having faced expensive and scarce hiring, is now solving the problem differently — through investments in technology and restructuring internal processes,» the consultant explains.

She shares advice for employees who want to keep their jobs: propose ideas for improving processes within your area of responsibility, master adjacent skills (for example, basic data analysis, report automation), and openly discuss your efficiency with your manager.

«So Much Talk About Burnout»

And what do employers themselves from various sectors think? MSK1.RU interviewed them, too. For example, social policy advisor to the chairman of the board of JSC National Savings Bank Anastasia Kudryavtseva reflects: «The economy is changing faster than people can adapt: automation, AI, new skill requirements create a background of chronic stress. Therefore, people talk more about anxiety, fatigue, and uncertainty than about actual mass layoffs. When a person doesn»t understand what will happen to their profession in a year or two, they start behaving more cautiously: they postpone changing jobs, fear asking for a raise, and perceive any changes within the company worse.«

Board member of the Siberian Business Union and the Azot company Anastasia Gorelkina also believes the labor market situation has now stabilized. And this allows people to think not about survival, but about quality of life.

«Today, there»s so much talk about burnout, balance, and comfort not because the market is collapsing, but because it is stable enough that people can afford to think more broadly,« the top manager shares her observations.

In general, the assessment of the labor market depends on the expert«s »optics«: some talk about stability, others — about stagnation. Whatever you call it, the situation is clear: no growth is observed.