MOSCOW, March 18 (RAPSI) – The Russian government's legislative commission has approved a draft law submitted by the Communications Ministry to cut the minimum annual salary for foreign professionals at Russian IT companies, the cabinet announced on its website on Tuesday.

“It has been proposed that we establish the minimum annual salary for foreign professionals at 1 million rubles ($27,285) to facilitate their employment at IT companies,” the statement says. “The current figure of 2 million rubles a year or about 167,000 rubles ($4,557) a month is too high for IT companies.”

According to the press release, the law was drafted within the framework of the Russian IT sector’s development strategy for 2014-2020 and until 2025. It should help reduce the shortage of IT professionals in Russia.