Where There Are People, There Is Business: Strategic Motivation for Private Investment in Demography
According to a UN forecast, Russia's population is projected to shrink by nearly a quarter by the end of the century. Correcting the current demographic situation in Russia is a pressing task. While the country has established state support for low-income families with children, it is evidently insufficient to raise the birth rate to a level that sustains natural population growth. The situation can only be fundamentally changed by improving the well-being of all Russian families. Decent wages and confidence in the future hold greater importance for families than subsistence benefits alone. Since the corporate sector employs the majority of the economically active population, the employers' approach towards family and demographic issues plays a crucial role in influencing people's desire to have children. Currently, certain companies across various sectors are implementing pro-family practices, benefiting both their employees and clients. To increase the number of such companies, new approaches in cooperation between the state and business are required. What needs to be done, and what might a corporate demographic standard look like?
Moderator
Alena Kuleshova,
TV Presenter, Public Television of Russia
Panellists
Anton Drozdov,
Deputy Chairman, Promsvyazbank
Natalya Eremina,
President, United Metallurgical Company
Nikolay Zhuravlev,
Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Maria Kobzeva,
Vice President, Delo Group of Companies
Alexander Tarnovsky,
General Director, VSK
Vitaliy Terentyev,
Government Relations Director, HeadHunter
Elena Feoktistova,
Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship Directorate, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)
Igor Shchegolev,
Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Central Federal District