Registered unemployment in Belarus as of January 1 remained at 0.6%

10 January, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. As of January 1, 2012, the registered unemployment rate in Belarus stood at 0.6% of the economically active population (as of January 1, 2011, it was 0.7%). This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Galina Grinchuk, Deputy Head of the Employment Policy Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. The unemployment rate for the republic as a whole remained unchanged over the past few months (as of September 1, 2011, this figure was 0.7%, and from October 1, it was 0.6%). In terms of regions, unemployment decreased by 0.1% in December in two regions of the country: in Brest Oblast - to 0.7%, and in Grodno Oblast - to 0.6%. In the remaining regions, registered unemployment remained at the previous level: in Gomel Oblast - 0.9%, in Vitebsk Oblast - 0.8%, in Mogilev Oblast - 0.7%, in Minsk Oblast - 0.6%, and in Minsk city - 0.3%. "The labour market situation is stable, manageable, and controlled," said Galina Grinchuk. "The current trends suggest that there will be no significant changes in the employment situation in the coming months. No reports have been received from employers in various sectors of the economy regarding upcoming substantial staff reductions in January-February of this year." According to Galina Grinchuk, no "upswings or downturns" were observed in the sphere of employment and unemployment in December 2011. Operational statistics confirm this, as the figures are comparable to those of December 2010 and 2009.

The specialist noted a decrease in the number of applications to the state employment service for employment assistance and registrations as unemployed. She explained this by the fact that there are quite a lot of vacancies in the republic, and this information is widely accessible – anyone can view the vacancy bank and choose a suitable employment option. "The efforts of the state employment service are focused on assisting people whose employment is difficult for objective reasons to find a job," said Galina Grinchuk. "These include disabled people; orphans; pre-retirement age individuals; those seeking work for the first time aged up to 21; individuals returning from places of deprivation of liberty; women who have not worked due to childcare. Such people need support, as they cannot compete equally with others in the labour market. The state employment service helps them acquire in-demand professions, improve their existing qualifications, find employment in existing and newly created jobs, and organise their own businesses." According to operational data, in 2011, 313.3 thousand people applied to the employment service for employment assistance – a 4.7% decrease compared to 2010. The status of unemployed was granted to 188.4 thousand people last year – an 8.5% decrease compared to 2010. 200.8 thousand people were employed last year, including 130.5 thousand unemployed (a decrease of 1.6% and 3.8% respectively compared to 2010). At the same time, 365.8 thousand people needed employment in 2011 – a 6% decrease compared to 2010. The labour market tension coefficient in the republic is very low, the specialist emphasised. As of January 1 of the current year, this indicator for the country as a whole was 0.5 unemployed per 1 vacancy. Moreover, labour market tension is constantly decreasing: as of January 1, 2011, there were 0.7 unemployed per vacancy, and in 2005 – 2 unemployed per vacancy. The number of vacant jobs increased from 48.8 thousand as of January 1, 2011, to 51.7 as of January 1, 2012 (a 5.9% increase). As of January 1 of the current year, 28.2 thousand people were registered as unemployed in Belarus. This is less than in all analysed periods. Incidentally, in December 2011, the number of unemployed decreased by 1.2 thousand, and compared to January 1, 2011 – by 4.9 thousand people, or 12.8%.Social support for the unemployed, as provided for by law, was fully ensured. In December of last year, benefits were accrued to over 13.6 thousand people, with an average amount of Br102.3 thousand. A representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection reported that the government had approved the draft State Programme for Employment Promotion for 2012 and expressed hope that the document would be ratified in January. Key objectives include maintaining a stable employment situation; integrating target population groups requiring social support into the workforce; improving the system of training and retraining personnel in line with economic development needs; and providing information, career guidance, and methodological support for population employment. Furthermore, achieving these objectives will be pursued not only through traditional, practically proven measures (assisting employers in job creation, supporting the self-employment of the unemployed, vocational training for the unemployed, adapting disabled individuals for work, and resettlement to new places of work and residence) but also by incorporating new approaches. Programme priorities include improving labour market monitoring and assisting employers in the structural restructuring of the economy. Financing for the implementation of the State Programme for Employment Promotion measures in 2012 is projected at almost Br226 billion.-0-

BELTA