DUSHANBE, January 29, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Administration of Russia’s Sverdlovsk regions intends to refuse to enlist the services of labor migrants this year.

According to Vesti-Ural.ru, speaking to reporters in Yekaterinburg on January 29, the Sverdlovsk governor Eduard Rossel noted that he will send a letter with an official notification to the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.

“Our quota for labor migrants has been determined at 170,000 people, while we have needed only 50,000 people,” said Rossel, “While in connection with the present situation, we do not need labor migrants at all and we will refuse these quotas and will recruit guest workers this year.”

The governor noted that jobless now constitute 1.7 percent of the overall number of residents of the region and according to the regional anti-crisis commission, some 200,000 people in the region may be left without jobs by the summer.  Under conditions of the job crisis, guest workers will be replaced by local workers.