Highest figure in 50 years: intelligence says the Kremlin is pushing young people into vocational schools due to catastrophic labor shortage
Kyiv • UNN
This year, a record number of ninth-grade graduates from Russian schools chose vocational education, which is the highest figure in the last 50 years. This is a forced reaction of the education system to the acute shortage of skilled workers for industry.
This year, a record number of ninth-grade graduates from Russian schools chose secondary vocational education – the highest figure in the last 50 years. As reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service, against the backdrop of a catastrophic shortage of labor in the Russian economy, this trend looks like a forced reaction of the education system to a severe shortage of qualified personnel for industry and other key sectors, UNN reports.
In 2025, a record 63% of ninth-grade graduates from Russian schools chose secondary vocational education – the highest figure in the last 50 years, and the total number of students in technical schools and colleges reached 3.9 million people. The largest increase was recorded in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, and Novosibirsk regions. Against the backdrop of a catastrophic shortage of labor in the Russian economy, this trend looks like a forced reaction of the education system to a severe shortage of qualified personnel for industry and other key sectors.
According to intelligence data, the growing popularity of secondary vocational education began in the mid-2010s, when the real incomes of Russians began to fall, and the costs of preparing for higher education and student life became unaffordable for many families. If in 2017, 54% of ninth-graders continued their education in high school, in 2024 this figure decreased to 44%, and in rural areas only 34% of schoolchildren reach the 11th grade, compared to 47% in cities. The constant increase in passing scores for the unified state exam, the high cost of tutors and accommodation for visiting students effectively close the path to universities, although, according to sociological data, 79% of Russians would like their children to receive higher education.
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The Kremlin began actively supporting this shift in 2024, launching the federal project "Professionalitet", and in 2025 – a campaign within the national project "Personnel". For 2026, an update of the classifier of in-demand professions and another increase in minimum state exam scores are planned. At the same time, the authorities are intensively promoting college education, while remaining silent about the real prospects of graduates, including the risk of mobilization into the army. In the 2026–2027 academic year, the number of paid places in universities will decrease by 13%, or approximately 45 thousand, primarily due to non-state universities, where every fifth place will be cut, and humanitarian fields, which have been officially recognized as unnecessary.
The intelligence added that under such conditions, the trend towards blue-collar and secondary specialized professions will only intensify, as the economy desperately needs labor. However, instead of investing in quality education and reforms, the state chooses administrative restrictions, deepening the crisis of higher education and driving the country into even greater dependence on scarce personnel.