Development of creative economy will allow Russia to solve the main tasks set by President Vladimir Putin. This was stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by Liliya Ovcharova, Vice Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

"The countries that have made a breakthrough in the creative economy have seen several important positive effects. Firstly, it creates opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. We are currently placing quite a big bet on this driver. Second, it creates jobs, which is also a sensitive issue for Russia. It is also a great opportunity to diversify the development of the non-resource segment of the economy, improve the quality of human capital and effectively create a comfortable environment," Ovcharova said.

According to her, in 2019, the creative industry in Russia amounted to about $43 billion in purchasing power parity.

"We did an analysis using methodologies that would make us comparable to other countries. We ended up in 7th place between Germany, which is slightly bigger than us, and Brazil. Ahead of us, of course, is China, although it is a producer, the Chinese claim not only to produce but also to invent. In second place is the United States, followed by England, Italy, and France. This means that we have already formed a fairly serious segment, which could be called a creative industry, "- said the expert.

She also noted that today the most common professions of the industry are related to advertising and marketing. "They account for about 30%, software developers for 20% and 15% is anything to do with fashion. Fashion is the largest segment of our creative economy, if you take the industry aspect," Ovcharova added.

At the same time, she stressed that Russia today does not reveal its full creative potential.

"As for the export, we have a negative balance with $4 billion deficit. If we can give everybody a signal that it is effective to work in the creative industries, where the salaries are higher, the growth is faster, it is attractive, it will allow us to develop the environment. Creative activities are distinguished by the fact that much of the added value of the product is made up," she assured.

In this regard, Ovcharova expressed confidence that it should be a large-scale systemic work, which involves a lot of research work, and government support at different levels, and what is important, the transformation of the education system.

"What's important is that there has to be an environment. The environment has to get signals for people whether or not to go there to work, for investors, for regions, for federal authorities. Signals can come out when you identify and measure something. There should be signals to the education system as well. People who work in the creative industry should not be mechanical performers, these are completely different competencies," the expert concluded.