Armenia is Filling with Cheap Labor: Economist Warns

Armenia is filling with unqualified, cheap labor, primarily from India, which will become a serious problem for us. It will come back to haunt us when they become numerous, when the inviting degenerates lay them off, and they remain here without work, income, or a chance for return. This statement was made by economist Hayk Balanyan on his Facebook page.

His post specifically mentions:

“Immigrants work for pennies at car washes and in agriculture, effectively contributing to the development of the most flawed model of the economy:

• 1/ Empowerment of backward businesses and lazy entrepreneurs, resulting in actual dumping competition;
• 2/ Halt in technological modernization, importation of a third-world economic model;
• 3/ Future social, interethnic, and criminal problems that could lead to international issues, especially when one Tajik or Indian gets trampled;
• 4/ Dangerous qualitative changes in the composition of the country, export of qualified personnel, and importation of unqualified labor;
• 5/ Exploitation of hidden labor, tax evasion, violation of labor legislation, criminalization of business, including on an international scale.

These issues will ultimately lead to a strong national backlash and serious internal turmoil, because the state is unaware of why and how thousands of people are coming to Armenia, or what rights these foreigners have to come and easily find work, relieving businesses of the 'burden' of technological development.

In the future, where do these people officially 'disappear' in the labor market, what happens to them when they are laid off or have their passports taken away, and what will they do when they constitute a homeless and starving population on the streets of Yerevan and our villages?

I would understand if programmers and engineers were invited from India, but instead of buying agricultural machinery, they are bringing in Tajiks because there is no state regulation. Without it, no development will happen.

Cheap labor represents billions of people worldwide, and instead of technological development, they will always find an even cheaper unqualified worker to exploit, just to avoid spending money on technology, education, their own qualification development, or even on paying higher wages to Armenians.”