Unemployment reaches 1.5 million
In a move to prevent further dramatically rises in unemployment Russian president Dmitry Medvedev ordered his representatives to the federal administrative districts to “deal with” those who are neglecting a federally funded effort to create jobs.
1.5 million people unemployed is a 20 percent increase since Oct. 1 2008. Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova warned that the figure could rise to 2 million people this year, The Moscow Times reports.
- Regional authorities need to cooperate with employers and labor unions, Medvedev said. The President also said companies should think twice before hiring foreign employees, in an apparent reference to workers from other former Soviet republics.
