Nearly three decades after the collapse of communism, most Russians dream of working in a giant state-run company like Gazprom, Bloomberg writes citing a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
40% of citizens surveyed identified the government-controlled natural gas export monopoly as their preferred employer in a survey carried out by the pollster, which is also run by the state.
Gazprom, best known abroad for disrupting supplies to Europe during periodic spats between the Kremlin and Ukraine, had 466,000 employees at the end of 2018, 71% of them men, according to its annual report. Staff costs amounted to 601 billion rubles ($9.4 billion) last year, down 12% from a year earlier after it saved on future pension benefits when Russia raised its retirement age.
Another public company, Russian Railways, was the employer of choice for 23% of the 1,600 people surveyed, followed by oil giant Rosneft and the country’s largest lender, Sberbank. Lukoil was the only non-state company in the top six, with 12% listing Russia’s number two oil producer along with airline Aeroflot PSJC as their favored career choice. The margin of error was 2.5%.
Russians named a good salary and a company that fulfills its promises as the most important qualities they seek from an employer, according to VTsIOM.
Under President Vladimir Putin, the state’s role in Russia’s economy has increased dramatically despite his calls for increased competition. This year, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service estimated the state’s share of gross domestic product was as much as 70%, up from about 25% two decades ago. Gazprom and Rosneft together account for as much as 14% of the economy, it said.
