Unemployment in Belarus remains at 0.9%

July 8, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. In Belarus, registered unemployment as of July 1 this year remained at 0.9% of the economically active population of the republic. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Nikolai Kokhonov, head of the main department for employment policy and demography of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. For comparison, as of July 1 last year, this figure was 1%. A manageable situation persists in the republic's labor market, with no significant deterioration in terms of registered unemployment observed. It should be recalled that the State Program for Employment Promotion of the Population of the Republic of Belarus for 2009-2010 provides that the unemployment rate by the end of this year will not exceed 1.1-1.2% of the economically active population. According to a representative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, "adjustments to the state program for employment promotion for 2009 have been prepared - they concern an increase in the volume of financing for the implementation of active employment policy measures." This refers to increasing planned indicators for vocational training of the unemployed, organization of paid public works, etc. "In addition, in the fall, an influx of youth who remained 'out in the cold' of the university admission campaign is expected to the public employment service," the specialist said. "We must be prepared to assist them in acquiring a specialty and adapting to the labor market." The registered unemployment rate as of July 1 was still highest in the Vitebsk region (1.2%). The Gomel, Brest, and Grodno regions are in second place (1.1%), and the Mogilev region is in third place, where unemployment remains at 1%. In the Minsk region, this figure is 0.8%, and in Minsk - 0.4%. In Belarus, as of July 1 this year, 41.7 thousand people were registered as unemployed (for comparison: as of June 1 - 43.2 thousand people, as of May 1 - 44 thousand, as of April 1 - 43.9 thousand, as of March 1 - 42.4 thousand unemployed, and as of July 1 last year, there were 42.7 thousand unemployed in the republic). As the weekly monitoring of the labor market situation conducted since January this year shows, the main increase in the number of registered unemployed occurred in January-February. During March-May, this figure fluctuated within 44-46 thousand people, and at the end of May, a positive trend of a decrease in the number of unemployed emerged, which continues to this day. Compared to January-June 2008, 1.1% fewer people applied to the public employment service for assistance in finding employment, and registration as unemployed also decreased (by 0.9%). The number of those needing employment was also lower - by 4.1%. Incidentally, in the six months of the current year, 1.9 thousand laid-off workers were registered as unemployed - 13.7% less compared to the same period in 2008. Nikolai Kokhonov provided unemployment data for other countries - they are less optimistic compared to Belarus. Thus, in June of the current year, the unemployment rate in Russia was 8.5%, in Ukraine - 2%, in the USA - 9.5%, in Germany - 8.3%. -0-