Murmansk Region Governor Andrei Chibis presented the ‘Heading for the North’ program which includes employment assistance for those relocating to the region and wanting to find a job there.

Heading for the North is an employment assistance service for those who want to relocate to the Arctic, those who receive job offers there, and for university graduates. The local government believes that the program will help create a friendly atmosphere and will help in dealing with everyday issues related to accommodation, receiving concessions and lump sum payments.

“The complete roadmap for relocation is individualized. We invite strong people who want to leave a mark in history and become part of major projects being implemented in our territory,” Chibis said.

According to the governor, the Russian Arctic and the Murmansk Region have great strategic importance for the country’s economy; it is a logistics center with more major infrastructure being built. The Murmansk Region possesses large deposits of mineral resources: apatites for fertilizers that are sought after in world markets, nickel, cobalt, and half of Russia’s lithium reserves.

The government is working to connect the region to the gas distribution system. The unique production of floating power plants by Novatek is located there. “All of these factors boost industrial production, which means an increasing number of jobs and the need for personnel. I am confident that these people should live in the North, and not just rotate in and out,” Chibis said.

The acting rector of Murmansk Arctic University, Irina Shadrina, said the Russian Arctic zone requires 182,000 personnel through 2035, 60,000 in the Murmansk Region. The university will also be engaged in training skilled workers.

According to the Murmansk Region governor, the region’s personnel development strategy is based on young people who already live there. The regional government is doing everything in its power to improve the cities, the education environment and create attractive conditions for experts who relocate to the region. For instance, in the Murmansk Region, skilled workers under 35 are paid an additional “polar” allowance starting the first month of employment.

The governor noted that following the Living in the North project, the working-age population increased by 4,000 in 2022.

The politician said all of this at the Second Russian Volunteer Forum-Festival, The Arctic: Breaking the Ice, held as part of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021-2023. The operator of the chairmanship’s events is Roscongress.