Unemployment down in Azerbaijan
By Nigar Orujova
The number of those unemployed has decreased by 2.8 percent in Azerbaijan this year. Some 37,600 jobless people, including 41.9 percent women, were registered in the country of 9.3 million as of March 1, 2013, the State Statistics Committee reports.
The average amount of unemployment benefits is 249.6 manats ($318), which is 21.6 percent over the same period of 2012.
Unemployment was reduced to 5.2 percent, and the poverty level decreased to 6 percent last year.
As of early March, the economically active population totaled 4.696 million people, of whom 4.454 million were employed. As of February, the number of persons employed exceeded 1.470 million, including 891,000 people working in the public sector.
The number of employees in the oil sector amounted to 37,000 people, while those in the non-oil sector - 1.433 million. 1.428 million were employed in the non-agricultural sector.
Of those employed, 21.8 percent are involved in the production sector, of whom 6.7 percent are working in construction, 6.1 percent in the processing industry, 2.9 percent in agriculture, forestry and fishery, 2.5 percent in the mining industry, 2.2 percent in the production and distribution of electricity, gas and steam, 1.4 percent in the water, cleaning and recycling fields.
In the service sector, 23.2 percent of workers are concentrated in education, 19.1 percent in trade, repair of vehicles, 8.9 percent in the delivery of health and social services, 6.6 percent in public administration, defense and social security, and 4.9 percent in transportation and warehousing. 3.9 percent work in the field of recreation, entertainment and arts, while 3.6 percent are engaged in scientific and technical activities, 1.8 percent in the field of communications, 1.7 percent in finance and insurance, 0.8 percent in real estate operations and rent. 1.6 percent of the total number provide administrative and support services, 1.2 percent are engaged in accommodating tourists and the food service, and 0.9 percent in other areas.
Rise in population's income
Nominal income per capita in Azerbaijan amounted to about 517 manats ($660) in January-February, exceeding the figure in the same period of last year by 4.4 percent, the statistics committee said.
Average monthly income per capita amounted to 258.8 manats ($330).
The growth rate of per capita income exceeded the increase of consumer prices by 3.4 percent.
During the reporting period, the nominal income of the population of Azerbaijan amounted to 4.785 billion manats ($6.103 billion).
Real money income of the population during this period reached 4.309 billion manats ($5.496 billion) with a 5.4 percent growth. Real income per capita grew 4 percent to some 466 manats ($594).