On June 26, a roundtable titled, "Labor Migration as a Resource for the EAEU States Sustainable Economic Growth: Creating Conditions for Attracting and Developing Qualified and Scientific Specialists within the EAEU", was held on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk.
The event brought together representatives from government agencies, entrepreneurs, labor migration experts, and the heads of leading universities from Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The discussion addressed workforce development for professionals in demand in the EAEU labor market, the alignment of qualification standards, continuous professional growth of employees, and other issues related to advancing the Union's common labor market.
Altynai Omurbekova, director of the EEC Department for Labor Migration and Social Protection, said demand for highly-skilled workers continues to grow. Statistics show a positive trend: the registered unemployment rate in the EAEU has dropped to 0.7% this year, significantly lower than during the same period in 2024.
Omurbekova presented a report on alignment of qualification requirements for the most in-demand skills, prepared by the Commission in cooperation with member states for review at the upcoming Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in August 2025. The analysis revealed that while national qualification systems are structurally similar, some procedures for validating professional competencies remain different. For example, requirements for welders range from mandatory certification in Kazakhstan to voluntary skills assessment in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, while Armenia and Belarus require no assessment altogether.
To promote consistent alignment of qualification requirements, the EEC has developed a list of the most in-demand skills (updated annually), as well as recommended qualification standards for these skills in road transport, housing and utilities, construction, education, and healthcare, which member states can use when developing national standards.
According to Omurbekova, a priority area for developing the EAEU's common labor market is continued collaboration with member states to establish recommended qualification requirements for the most in-demand skills, enabling effective use of knowledge and skills acquired across different EAEU countries.
"Alignment of qualification requirements and approaches to assessing worker skills is an important step toward deeper integration within the EAEU and effective utilization of the Eurasian region's labor potential", the EEC department director summarized.
