CHEBOKSARY, March 1. /TASS/. The unemployment in Russia remains at 5.8% or 4.4 mln people for the third month in a row, Labor Minister Maxim Topilin told a meeting on the situation in the labor market and measures to support employment.

"The unemployment rate under the methodology of the International Labor Organization remains at around 5.8% for the third month in a row, it is 4.4 million people," Topilin said.

The minister said that during the previous economic crisis in February 2009, the unemployment rate was 9.2%.

"But at the same time we do not relax and continue our work," the official said.

"Today about 500,000 people are under the risk of layoffs - that is according to monitoring data. This figure comprises 301,000 people who have a part time employment, 20% of them, which is about 70,000 people, are those who are working part-time on enterprises, primarily in the automotive industry," Topilin said.

He added that the lanor ministry and the industry ministry are intensively cooperating in order to prevent mass redundancies of workers.

"If we talk about those who are to be laid off, this figure is now slightly less than 200,000 people. There is no clear industry-specific there. There are representatives of public administration, specific divisions of financial and banking sector..." Topilin said.