Unemployment compensation in Belarus amounts to 16 dollars

Even according to official data involuntary part-time employment in Belarus increased four-fold in January–April.

233.5 thousand workers of organizations, or 6.6 per cent of the average monthly number, had to work part-time in January–April 2009 in Belarus (this number was 1.6 per cent in January–April 2008), the Ministry of Statistics informs. In comparison with January–April 2008, the number of part-time workers increased more than four-fold, AFN reports.

The number of workers, transferred to short week increased by 15.8 per cent (75.6 thousand people) in April if compared with March. 125.1 thousand people worked short week in January–April (against 32 thousand people in January–March 2008).

The number of workers who had to go on vacation on the initiative of an employer increased by 1 per cent in April in comparison with March and amounted to 51.2 thousand people. 28.1 thousand people had to take unpaid vacations. 108.4 thousand people went on holidays on the initiative of an employer in January–April 2009 (against 24.6 thousand in January–April 2008).

The number of officially registered unemployed was 43.2 thousand people in late May 2009 that is by 1.7 per cent fewer than in April 2009. The unemployed amount to 0.9 per cent of the economically active population.

In January–May 2009, 132.1 thousand people were registered at employment centers, 90.3 thousand of them were found jobless (68.3 per cent of the number of applicants). 70 thousand people, among them 52.4 thousand unemployed people, were offered jobs in January–May 2009.

37.4 thousand people, among them 23.3 thousand jobless people, were recruited for public works in Janury–May 2009.

The average amount of unemployment compensation was 46.5 thousand rubles (16.4 dollars).