Unemployment Reaching New Heights :: Charter'97 :: News

Over the nine months of this year the number of unemployed in the Vitebsk region reached almost two thousand. The level of unemployment constituted 2,21%, while in towns it amounted to 2,57%. The leader in this regard is Novolukoml with a 3,62% rate. Slightly behind are Vitebsk (2,92%) and Orsha (2,48%). At many enterprises there’s a constant redundancy of employees. While last year the region’s industry fired 1670 employees, over the nine months of this year they dismissed almost twice as many – 3049. As a result of such an unstable situation the local employment service registered as unemployed some 17,000 folks. The problem of female and youth employment stands especially acute. More than half of all unemployed are women and almost half – young people aged 16-29.

The employment service is undertaking efforts to find jobs for the dismissed. They create new working places, render financial assistance to the poor and provide the needy with social labor.

In the near future the employment perspectives of the populace of the Vitebsk region remain quite vague, although a lot is being said about the reanimation of healthy economy in high instances. But we all know that there’s a huge distance in this country between the words spoken and the deeds undertaken.