Russia is facing a demographic crisis - the UN has suggested that its population of 142 million could fall by a third by 2050 - and migration has been touted as one way to makeup for the shortfall.
"We won't cope without migration, without an effective movement for our compatriots," said Dmitry Medvedev, who has been tipped as a successor to President Vladimir Putin in 2008, during a visit to the Russian Far East.
But instead of opening up the borders to immigrants from other countries - the issue is particularly sensitive in the Far East in view of an inflow of Chinese workers - Medvedev said the state should create normal living conditions for the population to stop people from leaving for other countries and provide them with attractive material incentives.
"For our people, families, the material factor remains attractive," Medvedev said, adding that he proposed to allocate 81 billion rubles (about $3 billion) for the solution of demographic problems in Russia.
Demographic problems dominated Putin's May state of the nation address, when he said the population was falling by 700,000 people a year and instructed the government to give women at least 250,000 rubles ($9,200) each as financial aid following the birth of a second child.
