The Unemployment Rate in Armenia Remaines Unchanged

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS: The unemployment rate in Armenia remained unchanged – 7,3% - as compared with the beginning of the year, head of the “State Employment Service” agency of the Labor and Social Affairs Sona Harutyunyan told today the reporters. According to the agency’s information smoothing has been registered in the Armenian labor market – during this month 3550 job seekers have found jobs 928 out of which are young people: as compared with the same span of the past year 29.2% growth has been registered.

As compared with the May 1 of the past year, this year the number of job seekers is 1,6% more – 102.8 thousand.

According to the information of the agency today there are 1495 vacancies – 20.9% more than last month. If in Yerevan there is a demand for craftsmen, in provinces there is a demand for doctors, pharmacists.

Sona Harutyunyan said state programs directed toward smoothing the labor market have been implemented. Among them – “In case of accepting to work not competitive people partial compensation of the salary to employer” – has been implemented – thanks to which 73 people found jobs among them 28 handicapped people.

Forty six unemployment and four handicapped people received financial assistance with the program of ensuring financial assistance to the unemployed people.

Eighty eight programs have been approved with the “Public Work for Payment” program, involving 1107 job seekers. Eighty six with the involvement of 1061 people is already in process.

Cooperating with the international organizations the State Employment Service is carrying out a number of information programs such as studies in Yerevan and provinces.

“Specialized Education and training” program carried out on the basis of the letter-agreement signed between the UN Armenia Office and Labor and Social Affairs is going on. This year 400 people will be involved in the program.

In conversation with the Armenpress correspondent Sona Harutyunyan said that the problem is regulation of the private job finding agencies with law. She noted that according to the information they posses about 40 such centers are functioning. “But they open and close down very frequently. Today their activity is uncontrolled,” she said, adding that 23 of these centers were invited to discuss the bill but only 12 came.

Sona Harutyunyan said that unlike private companies the State Employment Service provides consultation, necessary information and for free.