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Russia’s unemployment rate grows slightly, Russian labour minister says

The minister links this slight increase in unemployment to seasonal factor

Maxim Topilin ITAR-TASS

Maxim Topilin

MOSCOW, December 25 /TASS/. Russia’s unemployment rate is growing slightly but it should not arouse any serious fears, Russian Minister of Labour and Social Protection Maxim Topilin said on Thursday.

The Ministry monitored the situation weekly and did not reveal any serious changes in the labour market though the unemployment rate has grown slightly, Topilin told the Rossiya 24 TV news channel.

The minister links this slight increase in unemployment to seasonal factor. As a rule, there is more work in summer months, especially on farmland. Topilin expressed the hope that there would be no serious imbalances and disproportions in the labour market.

“If any negative phenomena appear in the market, the government will have to take additional measures to support the labour market,” Topilin said.

The official number of unemployed stood at 821,800 people on December 1, 2014. According to the Russian Federal Statistics Service, about 5.2 % of economically active population was out of job in Russia in November 2014 against 5.1% in October 2014. The real unemployment rate is estimated at 3.9 million people.

Russia’s unemployment has dropped by 4.3% compared to November 2013 but has increased by 1.7% compared to October 2014.

The number of economically active Russian population stood at 75.5 million people or 53% of the country’s total population in November 2014, according to preliminary reports.

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