The number of officially registered unemployed Russians has currently reached 1.6 million, while this number is expected to keep growing in May and June, Russian Minister of Labor and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov said.
He noted that forecasts predict up to the 2.5 million unemployment level in the country, while the total number of people who lost their jobs can reach 5.3 million in accordance with the International Labor Organization (ILO) guidelines.
"The number of registered unemployed people reached 1.6 million. Indeed, we reviewed various situations in various scenarios. Considering the forecast data we see today, the number of unemployed will continue rising in May and June," TASS cited the minister as saying.
According to him, the labor market is going through some tough but not catastrophic times. "For now, we are reaching the following scenario: 5.2-5.3 million unemployed [is forecast] by the ILO methodology and 2.5 million registered unemployed," Kotyakov added.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova reported that the number of unemployed in the country almost doubled (from 725,800 people). According to her, since March 1, 2020 1,654,000 Russians sought assistance in government agencies looking for jobs or applying for unemployment benefits.
