Prefacing the seminar, Dmitry Bazegsky, Head of the Department for Multidisciplinary Research, remarked that the topic in question remains understudied. Scientific papers published in recent years address only some of its aspects, while in-depth synthetic studies have since long been missing. At In fact, the last monograph on this subject was prepared by Karelian scientists back in 2001.
Opening the seminar, KarRC RAS leader Olga Bakhmet invited the researchers to continue the discussion that had started at a roundtable session at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia and to try to find answers to two questions: first, what the demographic situation in Karelia is like, and second, whether its dynamics can be influenced.
A talk titled "Demography of Karelia and Its Neighbors" was given by Pavel Druzhinin, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Economics KarRC RAS. Drawing upon census data, he outlined the region's demographic development over the past nearly forty years. In his opinion, one of the factors affecting the current population situation is migration. Similar migration processes are now underway in neighboring regions of Russia and Finland, where people are moving from rural areas to cities. What we learn from our neighbors’ experience is that essential factors for the demographic development of a territory include the presence of a strong classical university, high-income jobs, a comfortable urban environment, transportation, healthcare, and several other considerations that influence people's decisions on whether to move or to stay.
Egor Prokopyev, Senior Researcher, Institute of Economics KarRC RAS
"Salaries and migration at the municipal level in northern regions of Russia" was the topic covered by Egor Prokopyev, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Economics KarRC RAS. His estimate is that northern Russia has lost 20% of its population since 1989, with people moving to other regions, primarily to nearby metropolitan areas. This outmigration has resulted in workforce shortage, which leads to rising wages and rotational shift work as the mode of developing Arctic territories.
Alexander Averyanov, Junior Researcher, Laboratory for Integrated Arctic Studies, DRM KarRC RAS
The topic covered by Alexander Averyanov, Junior Researcher at the Laboratory for Integrated Arctic Studies of the DMR KarRC RAS and Head of Department at the Budget Monitoring Center of the Petrozavodsk State University, was "Migration Attitudes of Karelia's Youth". He found that the migration sentiment in young people varies depending on their age.
-- Fifty-one percent of high school graduates say they would like to study outside of Karelia, but much fewer of them are actually set to leave, and only 15.5% of Karelia's school graduates do go to other cities to study, -- the researcher specified.
Interview outputs were analyzed to determine the reasons urging young people to move to metropolitan areas. While for recent or upcoming graduates the factors of primary importance are interesting work, high salaries, and high quality education, the focus for the working youth aged 24 to 29 shifts to healthcare, social services, and securing their children's future. For young people aged 30 to 35, securing their children's future comes first, followed by healthcare, social services, and decent work that matches their qualifications and experience.
The speaker also touched upon another curious topic – attachment to the North, the mental and emotional connection to the cultural and historical traditions of the North, which often spurs young people to stay in the republic and work in their field of expertise.
Alexander Slabunov, KarRC RAS Deputy Director General for Science Administration
The presentation by Alexander Lomako, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, addressed the issue of measuring Karelia's population. He emphasized the importance of involving the scientific community in discussions on this topic, noting that population estimates significantly influence how much funding will be allocated to the Republic of Karelia from the federal budget. Underestimated population size essentially means lower receipts for Karelia's budget.
Alexander Lomako, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia
Alexander Lomako noted that various ministries and departments are currently involved in population accounting, each relying on its own sources of information and methodology, which leads to discrepancies in results for certain population categories. He also reminded that, since 2020, Federal Law No. 163 on the Federal Register of Population of the Russian Federation has been in effect, establishing the protocol for creating a unified electronic database of the country's population. The tool will help eliminate inconsistencies in the approaches of different ministries and agencies regarding the population size.
When discussing the presentations, seminar participants repeatedly remarked that the current demographic situation in Karelia and the growing migration reflect the worldwide phenomenon of urbanization, with people moving from rural areas to cities. And salaries are not the only driver here. Often, the key motives are aspiration of professional fulfillment, obtaining higher education, a richer cultural and leisure life in metropolitan areas, and access to a better social infrastructure. A few participants emphasized that the demand for labor resources in Karelia in the medium and long term needs to be assessed by professional scientists.
-- I like the idea one of the speakers has voiced, that people’s identity influences their migration decisions. Ultimately, this background – shaped by traditions, upbringing, career guidance, and the experience of previous generations – is what governs a young person’s decision on whether to leave or stay, -- said Olga Bakhmet.
KarRC RAS leader Olga Bakhmet
Wrapping up the seminar, KarRC RAS leader Olga Bakhmet remarked that, because of their high practical significance, current demographic processes in Karelia constitute an important research line for Karelian scientists. Discussions on the topic together with officials will continue.