The country of wage labor: Russians do not want to go to entrepreneurs

In fact, every second Russian (51%) would like to start a business. The most attractive areas for starting a business are information technology (6%) and trade (5%). In third place – production, construction, beauty or entertainment – 4%. Another 3% of respondents would like to try their hand at education

But all these are desires that have nothing to do with reality.

A potential businessman assesses not only the possible income, but also the risks that he will have to bear. And those risks matter. In the first half of 2026, 1.8 times more companies were liquidated than registered. Even the term “mortality rate of small and medium-sized businesses” appeared, denoting the problem of negative growth of small businesses as a systemic one.

In the first quarter of 2026, the number of bankruptcy cases of individual entrepreneurs reached 8,146, which is 29% more than in the same period last year, and 3.3 times higher than in the first quarter of 2023. In just three months, 153.9 thousand citizens of Russia were declared bankrupt, and the share of individual entrepreneurs in this flow is steadily growing

Amid rising costs, tax burdens and uncertainty, stable employment is becoming a more attractive alternative for many of our fellow citizens. It seems that Russians leaning toward hiring have caught the mood in the government. According to analysts, the sector of small and medium-sized businesses will survive even harder.

In particular, it is proposed to cancel the simplification with a rate of 6% (8% for autoUSN) This means an increase in the tax base for entrepreneurs who earn their own skilled labor. Reduce the revenue threshold for VAT on autoUSN from 60 million to 20 million rubles. That almost makes no sense regime, which business “run” from VAT. It is also proposed to abolish the patent tax system, which is widely used in microbusinesses. Introduce a social contribution for those who receive most of their income in the form of interest and dividends.

What is the future for small and medium-sized businesses?

“It is necessary to understand that only 4-6% of people in society are capable of doing business – by their nature and psychology,” says financial analyst, Candidate of Economic Sciences Mikhail Belyaev. This is the world statistics, it is hardly different in Russia. In our country some time ago there was such an idea that business opens the door to easy material enrichment, that special and do nothing.

- But that's exactly what it was.

- Yes, when there were free relationships in the market, entrepreneurs had high rates of profit, and business easily avoided paying taxes.

Now the situation has radically changed, control over the movement of funds has been introduced, everything has become transparent. The possibility of obtaining legal profits today has sharply narrowed.

The business environment itself has changed. In the conditions of tight monetary policy, it is quite difficult to talk about the prospects of your own business. It cannot operate in an environment where the rules of the game often change.

Against this background, hiring conditions become more promising. Today, there are certain industries where the salary is quite a competitor, and may be higher than the hypothetical income that your own business can give. Only in hiring a person does not need to think about the supply of raw materials, about obtaining a loan, take risks, the employer decides everything for you. Your task is to come to work at 9:00 a.m., complete a production assignment and leave at 6:00 p.m.

Pension rates are also calculated – who cares about their future. By old age, you will begin to receive an insurance pension. Add to this the payment of sick leave and paid leave. This is better for most people than having illusions about their own business.

What do you need to do to break this trend?

- Why break it? Absolutely not! The situation develops for objective reasons and those who are among the 4-6% able to conduct their business survive in the market. This means that it will be stable, and after financial crises it will only become stronger. Believe me, not many people in the developed world want to start a business.

In your opinion, what areas in small and medium-sized businesses are in demand today?

A small business cannot exist without a large one. For example, there are about 2,000 suppliers in an automobile company. These partners are small entrepreneurs – they make different filters, mirrors and so on. This is necessary for today’s economy. If there is a city-forming enterprise, small business in all spheres will develop there. Because several thousand people work at the plant, they go to cafes, hairdressers, use various services in the evenings and on weekends. This is the kind of small business we need.