Republic

Unemployment in Belarus remains at 1%

The unemployment rate in Belarus remains at 1% of the economically active population (as of June 1, 2007, the rate was 1.1%, June 1, 2006 – 1.6%). In summer the rate of unemployment will remain the same, Nikolai Kokhonov, the chief of the main department of the employment policy and population of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, told BelTA. “The jobless rate may increase in September-October as school graduates who fail to get into educational establishments and seasonal workers start applying to the state employment assistance service,” he said. The unemployment rate has been falling down in Belarus. According to the statistical data, as of June 1 this year, 44,900 unemployed were registered with the employment assistance service, down 5.9% from June 1 last year. The demand for the workforce has been on the rise. The number of jobs in the job bank of the state employment assistance service increased by 21.2% to 59,400 (in April an increase was 3,100, in May 5,100 jobs). The stabilization in the labour market was due to the stable economic performance of the country and effective employment assistance policy, Nikolai Kokhonov said. As of June 1 the jobless rate in the Vitebsk, Gomel and Brest oblasts was at the level of 1.3%. The unemployment in the Grodno oblast was 1.2%, in the Mogilev oblast - 1.1%, Minsk oblast -1% and in the city of Minsk - 0.3% of the economically active population.