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Moscow’s unemployment up seven-fold amid pandemic, reaches peak in September

The level of registered unemployment in the city has exceeded 3%, while in 2019, it equaled 0.37%

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Unemployment in Moscow soared seven-fold during the coronavirus pandemic, reaching its peak level in September, head of the city’s Department of Labor and Social Protection Evgeny Struzhak said on Monday, adding that there are around 186,000 unemployed in the capital now.

"The situation on the labor market changed dramatically during the pandemic. Unemployment climbed seven-fold in Moscow, reaching its peak in September, with 223,000 unemployed. <…> In Moscow the situation on the labor market is quite positive as many companies offer vacancies: the level of [the number of] vacancies is higher than the level of [the number of] unemployed people as there are around 260,000 vacancies," he said at a meeting of the economic and social policy commission of the Moscow City Council.

The level of registered unemployment in the city has exceeded 3%, he noted. In 2019, it equaled 0.37%.

A representative of the Moscow department’s press service told TASS that the level of unemployment in September exceeded last year’s level seven-fold, whereas now the unemployment level is lower standing at 2.5%. Around 184,400 citizens are officially registered as unemployed now.