Employment in Russia has continued to rise

Rosstat’s second-quarter labour force survey finds that the number of employed persons rose further on-year despite the economic downturn. On the other hand, the increase in the number of employed persons that has continued for over a year has slowed substantially over the course of this year. About 72 million persons were employed in Russia in the second quarter, and the employment rate for the 15–72-year-old cohorts was 65.5 %. The survey is based on the International Labour Organization (ILO) methodology.

The number of unemployed persons continued to fall in the second quarter, but at a slower rate than last year and in the first quarter. Russia had fewer than 3 million unemployed persons, less than 4 % of the labour force. A significant upsurge in part-time workers (less than 40 hours a week), however, continued. The number of persons who potentially could enter the labour force (persons not actively seeking a job but ready to work) continued to fall, standing at around 1 million in the second quarter.

The number of persons working in the formal labour market has increased briskly this year, a pattern somewhat atypical during Russian recessions. Like in previous recessions, however, the number of persons employed in the grey economy has dropped sharply. Of the over 13 million persons working in the grey economy in the second quarter, about 95 % worked exclusively in the grey economy. The latter group represents about 17–18 % of all employed persons.

The number of employed persons in Russia has continued to rise, albeit more slowly than last year and early this year

Sources: Rosstat and BOFIT.