Salary expectations of Russians went down

Over the same period last year, job seekers’ requests were significantly higher and showed double-digit growth rates. The Russians wanted to receive 154 thousand rubles. an average of more than 14.0% compared to the same period of 2024 and 119 thousand per month in the median, the increase was 22.68% per annum.

The downward trend reversal began in the third quarter of 2025. Moreover, average salary expectations are declining not only for the country as a whole, but also for individual professions, the study says. For example, requests for locksmiths and welders fell to 213,000 rubles a month against 303,000 rubles earlier this year. In drivers, the desired indicator also decreased - to 164,000 rubles. against 214,000. Although nurses, on the contrary, expectations rose slightly to 124 thousand against 122 thousand at the beginning of the year.

Expectations of salaries are heterogeneous across cities and villages. The highest salary expectations for the nine months of the year were among residents of Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo region – there dream of 258 000 rubles. a month, and the median – 166000 rubles. The leaders in high expectations were the suburban cities of Podolsk, Khimki and Mytishchi. Muscovites occupy only 8th place with 186 thousand rubles per month and a median of 131 thousand.

The most modest desired salary levels were in Kirov – 118,000 rubles per month on average and 87,000 rubles as the median of requests. Also low expectations among residents of Kaliningrad, Kurgan and Yoshkar-Ola.

Meanwhile, according to Rosstat, in June 2026, the average accrued salary increased by 11.2% year-on-year and reached 114.7 thousand rubles a month. Over the past 5 years, this figure has almost doubled - by 55 thousand rubles. Yes, there was a time when employers hunted for heads and raised wages without looking. Employees now seem to understand that their appetites should be tempered.

“The Russians have become sober in assessing the economic situation in the country,” said financial analyst, candidate of economic sciences Mikhail Belyaev. “In the past, wage expectations were to some extent demonstrative, when people artificially inflated their growth, because they understood that the economy successfully withstands sanctions pressure and continues to develop,” he says. Now our citizens are financially more literate. And they understand that when the GDP growth rate is less than one percent, when consumer loans or business development loans have become inaccessible, high wage growth rates should not be expected. People are more balanced in assessing the situation, relying on the real situation.

How much do you think average wages will increase this year?

The average does not say anything, it does not give an idea of salary. There are industries where revenues are high and growing. These are areas related to scientific and technological progress. And there are traditional areas in which no major increases in payments have been recorded before

This is approximately like the inflation declared by Rosstat. For some goods, prices rise more strongly, for others more slowly, and as a result, we get an “average temperature for the hospital.” And the inflation we see every day will be 10 percent or more by the end of the year. Taking into account the growth of fuel prices and increased tariffs for housing and communal services.