Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Uralvagonzavod, a Russian tank and railcar maker, moves civilian staff to a four-day work week due to declining demand, reflecting broader trends in the Russian industrial sector.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian tank and railcar maker Uralvagonzavod will move part of its civilian-sector staff to a four-day working week amid weakening demand, the company's press service told Russian media on Friday.
The move comes as Russia's biggest industrial companies, including automakers, mining and metallurgical companies, are putting employees on furlough or cutting staff as the war economy slows, domestic demand stalls and exports dry up, sources and companies have told Reuters.
"Despite temporary fluctuations in the railcar market, Uralvagonzavod continues stable operations thanks to its diversified production," the company said, without specifying how many employees would be affected.
Uralvagonzavod is a part of the state-owned conglomerate Rostec. It did not respond to a Reuters request for comment when asked about the reported change.
The railways sector, which state mining and oil industries heavily depend on, has contracted this year: railway freight volumes in Russia fell 6.7% year-on-year in January–September to 830.2 million metric tons.
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Additional reporting by Darya Korsunskaya and Anastasiya Lyrchikova; Editing by Louise Heavens)
A four-day working week is a work schedule that allows employees to work four days instead of the traditional five, often with the same total hours, aimed at improving work-life balance and productivity.
Demand in economics refers to the quantity of a product or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase at various prices during a given time period.
A furlough is a temporary leave of absence from work, often without pay, typically used by employers during times of economic downturn or reduced demand for services.
The railcar market involves the buying, selling, and leasing of railcars used for transporting goods by rail, influenced by factors such as demand, production capacity, and economic conditions.
Diversified production refers to a business strategy where a company produces a variety of products or services to reduce risk and increase market opportunities.
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