On Russian Labor Market in January-February 2010
Starting with October 2009 the situation on the Russian labor market has been worsening. In January 2010 the unemployment (according to the International Labor Organization methodology) went up to 6.841 million of people as contrasted with 6.173 million of people in December 2009, the unemployment norm increasing up to 9.2% of the economic active population versus 8.2%.
Starting with November 2009 the number of the unemployed registered in unemployment bodies has been increasing. Over January 2010 the number of the officially registered unemployed went up by 55 thousand of people and made 2.202 million of people or 3.0% of economically active population. The unemployed citizens register at the state employment services to get assistance in job finding, retraining, setting their own business. Unemployment benefit was paid to 1.9 million of people.
The number of the employees working part-time, being on holidays initiated by administration or staying idle remains at high level. According to estimations, as on February 10, 2010 the number of such employees makes 1.616 million of people.
Despite the measures undertaken to create workplaces in order to decrease the tension on the labor market, demand for workforce submitted to the state placement services made 801.6 thousand in January 2010 and remained below the figures of the beginning of 2009.The tension coefficient on the labor market (number of the unemployed registered in the state placement services per 100 declared vacancies) went up to 310.6 in January 2010 as compared with 244.0 in the corresponding month of 2009.
However, according to the data of IET’s February survey of industrial enterprises, the enterprises do not exclude the possibility of additional hiring of the employees and the reduction in the number of dismissals.
O.I. Izryadnova – Head of the Department for the Structural Problems of the Economy