In Irkutsk in 2012 registered unemployment fell, the number of officially unemployed dropped almost threefold from the 2009 peak. At the same time, the labor market remains imbalanced, most vacancies are blue collar jobs, and pay is often below job seekers expectations. Wages also rose, the average in large and medium organizations reached 30.7 thousand rubles, and real wages increased by 9.1%. Education and healthcare grew especially strongly, with wages up more than 20%, and there are no wage arrears in the public sector.

The largest share is accounted for by education, health care and social services – 23.4%, industrial activities – 14.8%, real estate operations, renting and services – 11.9%, wholesale and retail trade – 11.6%, transport and communications – 11.1%.
During 2012, the registered unemployment rate decreased from 0.65% to 0.46% of the working-age population.
The number of officially registered unemployed as of January 1, 2013, amounted to 1,642 people, of whom 90.2% received unemployment benefits. Compared with the peak of unemployment in 2009, the number of unemployed decreased almost 3 times.
The number of citizens who applied to the Employment Center for assistance in finding a job during 2012 decreased by 8.6% (and amounted to more than 15 thousand people). Women predominate among the unemployed, their share was 62.1%. Compared with 2011, the number of young unemployed people (aged 16–29) decreased by 41.2%.
The main factor affecting the labor market is the imbalance between supply and demand. In 2012, of the more than 50 thousand vacancies posted, 86.6% were for blue-collar occupations.
The professional qualifications of the unemployed in many cases do not meet the requirements of employers, and the working conditions and wages do not meet the expectations of the unemployed.
The offered wages are below the per capita subsistence minimum for 3.4% of vacancies, and below the average wage in the Irkutsk Region for 96.0% of vacancies. The average wage for vacancies in the database of the Employment Center of the city of Irkutsk in December 2012 amounted to 11,300.6 rubles.
At the same time, the average wage of employees of large, medium and small organizations in the city of Irkutsk in 2012 amounted to 30,694.2 rubles and increased by 15.1% compared with 2011. In Irkutsk, wages are 17.9% higher than in the Irkutsk Region as a whole and 15.0% higher than in Russia.
Compared with the previous year, the purchasing power of wages increased from 4.1 to 4.5 times (the ratio of the average monthly wage of employees of large, medium and small organizations to the subsistence minimum of the working-age population).
Since 2010, the growth rate of the average monthly wage of employees of large, medium and small organizations in the city of Irkutsk has exceeded the average annual inflation rate. There is an annual increase in wages in the city in real terms.
In 2012, against the backdrop of lower inflation of 105.4% than in 2011, 109.2%, the growth of real wages in the city amounted to 9.1%, which is 7.1 percentage points more than in the previous year.
The highest wage levels were recorded among employees in the following types of economic activity: “financial activities” – 59,611.9 rubles, “public administration and military security; social insurance” – 46,620.7 rubles, “production and distribution of electricity, gas and water” – 45,334.6 rubles, “transport and communications” – 39,108.1 rubles. Wages of employees of enterprises in the “hotels and restaurants” activity remain significantly below the average level – 14,867.1 rubles.
The measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation to increase the wages of education and health care workers made it possible in 2012 to raise them by more than 20%. In 2012, the average monthly wage of health care and social services workers increased by 16.7% and reached 25,265.2 rubles, and that of education workers by 21.9% to 22,791.2 rubles.
There is no wage arrears owed to employees in organizations of the budgetary sector of Irkutsk.
Based on materials from the press service of the administration of the city of Irkutsk