The article reports on the considerable influx of population into the Ob’ North in connection with oil‐and‐gas developments during the past two decades. For example, the population of the Khanty‐Mansi Autonomous Okrug increased from 124,000 to 569,000 and that of the Yamal‐Nenets A.O. from 62,000 to 158,000 between 1959 and 1979. The author also examines associated changes in the ethnic, demographic and employment structures. Finally he suggests some possible solutions to the severe problem of high labor turnover in the Ob’ North; these would include an improvement in living and working conditions, increased emphasis on professional and technical training and increased mechanization. (The translation is by William Barr of the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.)