YAKUTSK, January 22. /TASS/. Yakutia’s authorities within the current year will offer about 22,000 new jobs as they will implement priority projects targeted at attracting people from villages to work in the industries or at developing self-employment forms for the unemployed. The federal and local budgets will allocated for these purposes more than one billion rubles ($17.6 million), head of the state committee on employment Stepan Moskvitin told reporters on Monday.

"We plan to employ within the current year at least 22,000 people. For this purpose the budget will allocate more than one billion rubles, including 557.1 million rubles ($9.9 million) from the federal budget. We are beginning several priority pilot projects, including the project to train and then employ at industrial enterprises people from villages," he said.

According to him, within the current year, the regional government will continue offering financial support to the unemployed, who want to open own businesses. In the past year, this support was helpful for more than 400 people. "The unemployed may open small businesses, and, like we saw in the past, mostly in services. Some bake break, others repair boots. Some projects are in agriculture, like, for example, horse breeding," he continued, adding the financial support is 152,000 rubles ($2,700).

Yakutia’s 20 companies in mining and oil-and-gas sectors said they would offer work in shifts to people from agricultural districts. For example, Alrosa (diamond producer) for development of its deposit will attract 598 locals within 2018. "The company will offer work in shifts for another 172 people in 2019," he continued. "The company needs car and truck drivers, plumbers, train and tractor drivers."

The first shift will begin in September 2018, he said. "The shift would be a month long, and then the employees will be off for a month," he added. "Soon, we shall choose people from residents of Mirny, Udachny, Lensk, and from villages Aihal, Suntar, Olenyek."

Yakutia announced earlier it begins from 2018 a pilot project to attract human resources from agricultural regions for shift work at the regional industrial enterprises. The unemployment in the region’s cities is 7.1%, in villages - 8.5%.