Putin says girls are Russia's labour force 'reserve'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday urged traditionally male professions to employ more women, to reduce major labour shortages exacerbated by thousands of soldiers being called up to fight in Ukraine.Russia has for years been suffering from a shrinking labour force because of persistently low birth rates, and this has been aggravated by the conflict in Ukraine.The mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of men took them out of the job market and prompted many of the most educated sections of the population to flee the country.