22 July 2003 14:45
Russian ministry predicts 6m unemployed by end of 2003
Moscow, 22 July: The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade estimates that by the end of the year Russia will
have around 6m unemployed people, or 8.3 per cent of the active population. The figure is contained in the
ministry's survey of Russia's social and economic development in 2003, which was published on Tuesday [22
July].
The total number of unemployed will rise by a total 300,000 people this year, according to the ministry's
figures.
At the same time, according to data from the State Statistics Committee, the number of employed people rose in
January-June by 500,000 people to 65.2m.
"This is explained by the improving economic situation since the start of the year, when economic growth rates
were slowing," the economic development ministry said.
The ministry thinks the number of employed will rise to 65.9m by the end of the year.
The Chechen Republic has the highest unemployment figure of 56.5 per cent of the population. Ingushetia and the
Koryak Autonomous Area also had high figures, of over 10 per cent. Tyva, Dagestan, Kabarda-Balkaria and the
Aginsk-Buryat, Taymyr and Nenets autonomous areas have unemployment levels higher than five per cent.
The lowest levels were found in Lipetsk, Orenburg, Tver, Smolensk and Nizhniy Novgorod regions, Krasnoyarsk Territory
and Moscow and St Petersburg.
[RIA news agency] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
