The key facts

  • AI can help solve the staff shortage only partially and locally, believes RUDN Associate Professor Nikita Stolyarov
  • The greatest shortage of employees is in agriculture, electric power, and water supply
  • Often the problem is not the absence of specialists, but that they are not satisfied with the offered working conditions

AI Will Not Solve the Most Acute Staffing Problems

The staff shortage situation on the Russian labor market remains tense, and artificial intelligence can help solve it only partially. RUDN Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics Nikita Stolyarov told RT this. According to him, for many professions the capabilities of neural networks are insufficient, so it is necessary to address the root causes of the problem: often specialists are available on the market, but they are not satisfied with the offered working conditions.

Where the Shortage of Employees Is Most Acute

The greatest problems with staff shortages, according to Stolyarov, are observed in certain industries — for example, in agriculture, electric power, and water supply. He noted that there are situations when an enterprise has orders and equipment but cannot cope with the tasks because there is no one to take the shifts.

The Cause Lies in Working Conditions, Not the Absence of People

“Therefore, one should look at the profession, the region, and working conditions. Sometimes a company is looking for new employees, although it would first be worth figuring out why the current ones are leaving,” the expert believes. He explained that the problem is often not related to the absence of personnel, but to specialists' unwillingness to accept the offered conditions.

AI Capabilities Are Limited

As for AI, in Stolyarov's opinion, it can help locally — for example, research confirms its effectiveness in customer support. At the same time, neural networks cannot repair equipment or see patients, meaning AI is unable to solve the most acute staffing problems. The expert also noted that employers often demand AI skills from job applicants in vain: such a requirement can only be made if the manager knows exactly how and in which tasks such technologies need to be applied.