Protection of the Population, Employers and the Employment Market in a Pandemic: Russia in a Global Context

The paper contains an evaluation of the measures taken by the Russian authorities to protect the population as a whole, as well as the labor and employment market participants, from economic and social harm caused by quarantine restrictions imposed in connection with the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The author concludes that the Government of the Russian Federation underestimates the negative economic and social consequences and that the decisions taken have some legal shortcomings. Taking into account the International Labour Organization approaches and the experience of other countries facing similar problems, the author makes the following proposals: first, with regard to more comprehensive and extensive measures protecting employment, employers and employees in order to minimize the increase in precarization of employment and unemployment; second, with regard to the extension of social protection measures over all social groups, including migrants and persons without permanent residency, employed in an informal economy and other persons; third, with regard to strengthening control over compliance with employment and labor laws and the application of the ILO Labour Inspection Conventions by Russia.