Employment in St. Petersburg

Local Economy

St. Petersburg is a large financial and industrial center, and also a major trade port to Russia. Major industries include many types of manufacturing, from ships and military equipment to pharmaceuticals, textiles and beer.

Many creative people tend to find the work they are looking for in St. Petersburg, but the salaries are on average two or three times lower than they are in Moscow. So if you’re an expat of working age looking to make your fortune, you may want to reconsider the location.

For younger workers (the legal working age is 16 and above or 14 and above with a parent or guardian’s permission) or those only wanting to stay in St. Petersburg for a short time, plenty of seasonal work is available. In terms of basic employment law: even if your employment is temporary or season, you will always have a contract of employment.

Job Hunting in St. Petersburg

Recommended websites to use for job hunting for St. Petersburg are: zarplata.ru, job.ru, superjob.ru or rabota.ru if you can understand Russian, and hh.ru for English speakers. There are plenty of jobs available around native English speaking, including teaching, in which you can expect to work around 30 hours per week depending on the contract.

According to recruitment agencies, the workers that are in the most demand are: sales managers, skilled workers, sales people, engineers and drivers. Lawyers and marketing or advertising specialists are in great excess in St. Petersburg, but skilled workers in the pharmaceutical and medicine industries are much needed.

Income Taxation in St. Petersburg

Expatriates residing in Russia can expect to pay income tax as regulated by Russian legislation – that goes for those in St. Petersburg as well as the rest of the country. The national income tax is 13 percent for residents and 30 percent for non-residents.

Personal income tax is paid by filling out forms and then making three equal payments over May, August and November. Your new employer will assist you with regards to understanding the income tax system.