The unemployment rate (under the ILO-definition) moderated further to 5.6% in April after jumping to 6% in January. Investors expected it to drop to 5.5%, according to a Bloomberg survey. The rate was fluctuating around 5.3% throughout H2 2012. To compare, the unemployment rate was reported at 5.8% in April 2012 and 7.2% in April 2011, according to RosStat.
In the beginning of H2/13 employment is going to improve but the positive seasonal effect may be outweighed by slowing activity in all major sectors.
The labour force in April remained almost flat at 75.3mn people. The number of unemployed declined to 4.2mn people. The absolute number of unemployed declined by 4.5% in annual terms and by 2.3% in monthly terms. Official unemployment amounted to 1.1mn people, out of which 0.9mn people received unemployment benefits. As usual, in April the number of unemployed in rural areas was twice as high as the number of unemployed in urban areas. Long-term unemployed (people without a job for a year and more) constituted some 32% of all unemployed, while workers without a job for less than 3 months were 31%.
Related Articles
Russia's Ozon swings to profit on EBITDA growth, fintech expansion in Q1 2026
Russia's Ozon Group (MOEX: OZON) reported a net profit of RUB4.5bn ($54.7mn) for the first quarter of 2026, against a net loss of RUB7.9bn in the same period last year, the e-commerce group said in ... more
Russia boosts Mali military support as Africa Corps replaces Wagner
Russia has delivered new shipments of heavy military equipment to Mali as the Kremlin replaces the Wagner Group’s semi-private model with the more tightly controlled Africa Corps, according to The ... more
BRICS+ city network voices solidarity with Tehran as tensions with US persist
Senior figures from the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities expressed “solidarity” with Tehran and voiced concern over developments in the Middle East in a message to the Iranian ... more