The crisis is deepening in Russia: wage arrears have increased by 2 billion rubles per month

Wage arrears are rising in Russia. In July 2025 alone, debts increased by almost 2 billion rubles.

This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

It is noted that in the second quarter of 2025, 30% of Russian companies decided to save on their employees – compared to 18% at the beginning of the year and 9% at the end of 2024.

Russian companies are increasingly freezing hiring new employees and cutting social packages. More and more workers are facing the cancellation of bonuses and part-time employment in production.

Debts for salary payments increased by 25% in July alone, from 1.3 billion rubles to 1.7 billion rubles.

“Such dynamics indicate that business is losing resources to support employment. Hidden unemployment has already covered entire sectors – primarily the automotive industry and construction, as well as related industries,” the CPD notes.

This trend indicates not only a decline in demand within the Russian Federation, but also a structural financial crisis, when companies are forced to save on people, not on projects or investments.

It is worth noting that microloan companies in Russia are showing growth amid stricter lending requirements from banks, which is pushing Russians into an even deeper debt trap .

Recall that the growth of the Russian economy is slowing, oil revenues are falling, the budget deficit has reached its highest level in three decades, and inflation and interest rates remain high.

As reported, according to a preliminary estimate by the Russian Ministry of Finance, the federal budget deficit increased by 1.2 trillion rubles in July and reached 4.9 trillion rubles in the first seven months . This is significantly more than the 3.8 trillion rubles planned for the entire year.