26 Feb 2018 16:04

Unemployment in North Caucasus down, still twice as high as Russian average - Medvedev

GROZNY. Feb 26 (Interfax) - The unemployment rate in the North Caucasian Federal District has substantially declined in recent years, but unemployment problems persist, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

"In 2010, when the North Caucasian Federal District was established, several measures were taken, and they have yielded quite tangible results," he said at a meeting of the governmental committee dealing with the socio-economic development of the North Caucasian Federal District in Grozny on Monday.

"I will mention that the average registered unemployment rate fell by a factor of almost three. I mean the figures in the district - from almost half a million people to 135,000," he said.

This is only the registered unemployment rate; the real figures are much higher, Medvedev said.

"According to the [International] Labor Organization's methodology, the results are a bit more modest, but they are also quite positive," he added.

The unemployment rate in the North Caucasian Federal District is approximately twice as high as the Russian average, Medvedev said.

"Over the past few years, more than just a positive tendency has taken shape. The figures began to decline in several other indicators, even as we continue to invest in job creation," he said.

It is necessary to create jobs both in the real sector of the economy and in the social sphere by opening new schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and other social institutions, the prime minister said.