ST. PETERSBURG, June 3. /TASS/. Russia was able to maintain employment in 2020, finding more effective ways to address the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic than other countries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said, addressing a St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) session on Thursday.
"In fact, efforts were focused on stopping the poverty level from rising. There was a need to save the economy and jobs. The 2020 statistics available to us makes it clear that on the whole, compared to other countries, Russia managed to implement this goal pretty well," he pointed out.
According to Overchuk, despite the economic decline, Russia managed to prevent a sharp increase in poverty rates. "We managed to prevent the poverty level from skyrocketing. The economy did decline but not as much as in the world’s other leading countries. On the whole, these results were achieved thanks to the government’s constant contact with the business community," the deputy prime minister stressed.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, is running from June 2-5. The discussion platforms include one on SMEs, along with other events dubbed "Project Healthy Life" and "Drug Security," as well as the SPIEF Junior special youth session that will be held as part of the St. Petersburg forum. The SPIEF 2021 event is taking place in-person with all health safety measures in place. TASS is the forum’s information partner and the official photo hosting agency.