Russians earn an average of 42 thousand rubles. This is evidenced by the statistics.

The salary varies depending on the region of residence and the field of activity where the employees work. Let's see who earns how much.

How Rosstat calculates our salary

The average monthly nominal accrued salary of employees is calculated monthly based on the results of continuous and selective statistical observations conducted at different intervals, based on information received from organizations of all types economic activity and all forms of ownership, and is determined by dividing the payroll by the ACC and by the number of months in the reporting period.

The payroll includes the amount of remuneration accrued to employees in cash and non-monetary forms (including personal income tax and other deductions in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation) for hours worked and not worked, compensation payments related to the mode of work and working conditions, additional payments and allowances, bonuses, one-time incentive payments, as well as payment for meals and accommodation, which is systematic.

Average salary by region

The Rosstat website contains salary data up to March 2018 inclusive.

The data show that workers in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug earn the most (almost 100 thousand rubles), and the least in Dagestan (23.9 thousand).

The average monthly nominal accrued salary of employees in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for March 2018 compared to March 2017.

Average salary by type of business

The data show that oil and gas producers earn the highest salaries (127 thousand rubles), and employees in the clothing industry earn the least (18.6 thousand rubles).

Average monthly nominal accrued salary of employees by type of economic activity in March 2018 compared to March 2017.

Does your real salary correspond to the average for the region or for the type of activity?

One of the main indicators of the standard of living of any citizen is wages. AT Russian Federation its size for different specialties and in different cities can vary greatly, differing at times, or even dozens of times.

Below IQReview collected in one place the most up-to-date data on the size of the average salary in Russia.

Average size, according to Rosstat

According to Rosstat, in 2017 the average salary of Russian citizens is 37.4 thousand rubles. Since the beginning of the 2000s, this indicator has been increasing annually: over the past almost two decades, there has not been a year when Russia has decreased or remained at the same level.

The specified indicator in fact has nothing to do with real data. For the capital and regions of the North, the figures will be one and a half to two times higher. In the central and southern regions, as well as in cities with a population of less than 1 million, on the contrary, the level of income will be significantly lower. In small settlements (up to 100-150 thousand inhabitants), the average wage can even be 10-15 thousand rubles.

How has size changed over time?

For clarity, we present the level of income of Russians over the past years:

According to the dynamics, it can be seen that a stable increase in the level of income was observed before the start of the "Ukrainian" crisis. Due to the imposed sanctions, the average salary in Russia has not stopped growing, but the pace of its increase has seriously slowed down.

In addition, its dollar equivalent also fell. In 2013, a Russian with a conditional income of 30,000 rubles in dollars received about $910. In 2016, with a salary of 36,700 rubles, it was one and a half times less - about $ 600.

The ratio of salaries of teachers and policemen

In total, for the years indicated in the table (2000-2017), the average salary in Russia increased by about 24 times.

Average by region

More accurate data on what the salary of Russians is now can be provided by separate statistics by region. It also has errors, but much smaller than the average for the whole country.

Average salary table for individual regions:

It can be seen from the table that there are also serious discrepancies by districts. For example, in the Central Federal District, the Moscow salary is 2-3 times higher than the income of residents of other regions.

Average for different specialties

Now we give the average salaries in 2017 for various specialties:

On in-demand and in-demand specialties

Every country has its own list of in-demand professions and a list of specialties, which, on the contrary, are difficult to get a job. For the Russian Federation, this largely depends on the region and the size of the settlement.

In large cities (from a million people and above), the easiest way to find a job:

• all directions;
• health workers, nurses, nurses;
• teachers (primarily in schools and kindergartens), tutors, nannies;

IT- high-level specialists;

builders;

representatives of "working" specialties (locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, welders);

sellers, cashiers;

drivers.

The most difficult thing to look for a job in megacities is for those who studied for some rare positions (for example, an art historian). Also in large settlements it is difficult to get a good job for such specialists as:

lawyers;

officials;

profile "working" specialists (locksmiths, plumbers, welders).

If we take the general statistics for the Russian Federation,the most demanded worker is the driver. In total, about 7% of the total number of employed citizens work as drivers.

Approximately the same percentage of Russians work in sales.

About errors in calculations

All of the above indicators can not be called even approximately accurate. There are several reasons for this:

1. The length of the territory of the state is several climatic zones. In the northern regions, the level of salaries will always be higher than in warmer regions.
2. Strong urbanization. In cities, the level of salaries and the demand for specialists are many times higher than in the villages.
3. A significant gap between capital and regional salaries.
4. The salary "in envelopes" is widespread. According to the documents, an employee can receive one amount, but in fact on hand - another, and it can differ by 2-3 times.

As a result, in the same position and with the same duties, an employee in one region can receive 60 thousand rubles, and in another - 15, or even lower. The gap is 4 times, the average figure is 37,500 rubles, which is far from reality for both the first and second employees.

For comparison: how much do citizens of other countries receive?

According to the average dollar exchange rate for the first half of 2017, Russians receive about $550-600. Now we give a short list of average salaries in other states:

1. Ukraine - $100.
2. India - $250.
3. Moldova - $250-300.
4. Georgia - $400-450.
5. Bulgaria - $700.
6. China - $750.
7. Romania - $750-800.
8. Czech Republic - $ 1400.
9. Japan - $2000.
10. Spain - $2200.
11. Germany - $2500-2600.
12. England - $2600.
13. France - $2650-2700.
14. Belgium - $2800.
15. USA - $3300.
16. Norway - $3700.

On the other hand, in most of these countries, the level of expenditures (taxes, utility bills, mandatory contributions on, the cost of housing and various goods).

About the real size of average salaries in the Russian Federation (video)

For some reason, in Russia it is not customary to talk to each other about your income. Someone is ashamed, and someone is afraid that they will envy him. But where are the lowest wages in Russia?

According to the statistics...

The average Russian, according to Rosstat, earns 38.6 thousand rubles - this is the most recent data for January-August. Many will disagree with this figure. As a rule, the data is overestimated due to the calculation methodology - you can read about this problem in this one.

But even if you believe the same Rosstat, such salaries are high for the majority. in Russia there are more than 22 million people who receive income below the subsistence level, and only 37.9% of the population have incomes exceeding 35 thousand rubles a month.

In fact, in terms of wages, we have dropped even lower than the people of China. At the end of 2016, the average monthly salary in 34 major Chinese cities was 7,600 yuan, which in terms of dollars is about 1,153.7 dollars, and in rubles it will reach 66,500 rubles per month, which is sky-high for many Russians.

At the same time, the work of highly qualified workers, such as doctors, teachers of schools and universities, and engineers in many other specialties, is still low paid.

Where exactly should you not go to work?

Most patriots are proud that Russia is a huge country. We have thousands of kilometers of forests and fields, vast expanses and natural resources. But you must admit that the farther from the capital center, the lower the salaries, with the exception of the Northern regions. However, even in them surcharges successfully eat up crazy prices in stores.

In a number of particularly depressed regions, even first-class programmers will receive a penny, not to mention nannies, factory workers and local civil servants.

Some regions are not saved even by overestimated statistics. So, for example, in Kabardino-Balkaria the average salary is 21.09 thousand rubles per month, in the Republic of Dagestan - 21.3 thousand rubles per month, in Altai - 21.8 thousand rubles, and in Ingushetia 22.1 thousand rubles. At the same time, in 68 regions of the country the salary is lower than the average for Russia, and in 50 regions it does not even reach 30 thousand rubles a month.

It is also worth remembering that income tax of 13% is still paid on this money and insurance premiums paid by the employer. Thus, the amount “on hand” is about a third less than what Rosstat writes.

What are they saying on social media?

"In Kurgan average earnings, which is offered at work in the Employment Service - 12-15 thousand rubles. 200 euros. That is, this is already the level of Africa,” wrote in

In early 2008, when no one had yet anticipated a global economic crisis, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mentioned that since the beginning of the new millennium, the salaries of Russians have been steadily rising. GDP growth over the same period was much more modest. Not only Dmitry Anatolyevich drew attention to the fact that it is necessary to increase labor productivity, but the next increase in wages can be postponed. Recall that in 2004 it was $242 (6,740 rubles at that time), in 2008 - $588 (17,290 rubles).

However, the question of why salaries are so low in Russia was asked then and continues to be asked now. On a direct line with the president - in a unique format of interaction between the head of state and ordinary citizens - the issues of the domestic economy (wages, jobs, youth employment) became one of the main topics in 2002, 2005, 2008, in 2014-2017 the discussion was held annually. After the crisis and during the period of sanctions, the government admitted that salaries in Russia are low.

Heavy nineties

Why are salaries low in Russia and, in general, are they small, speaking objectively? In the nineties, the standard of living of most Russians was determined solely by wages and social benefits There was no mention of any additional income. And the graphs of average wages (especially in rubles) were distinguished by either rapid ups or crushing falls - a deep economic crisis was evident.

In April 1991, the average Russians was 495 rubles ($341 at the average annual rate corresponding to the time), in December of the same year - 548 rubles ($101.6). For this amount at the beginning of the year it was possible to buy 219 kg of potatoes (at the then prices), at the end - 182.6 kg. Further - worse. In 1992, the average salary was 5995 rubles or almost $24, in 1993 - 58.6 thousand rubles or $140, in 1994 - 220 thousand rubles or about $67.

If we talk about the percentage of wages to the level of 1991 (before the reforms), then in 1992 incomes amounted to about 68%, in 1995 - about 45%. The biggest drawdown in the schedule is observed in 1999, when the level of wages of the population stopped at about 32-35% of the income of 1991. Experts say that in the nineties the standard of living of the population decreased by 1.5-2 times - to the indicators of the sixties.

Non-payment of wages

At the same time, wages were not paid. This negative process covered the majority of the population (60% of workers) in all regions of Russia and most sectors of the economy. The maximum level of debt (69%) was observed in the north-west of the country, the debts were slightly lower in the Far East (67.9%), in the Urals and the North Caucasus (65.7-65.6%), in the Volga region (66%) . In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the debt amounted to almost 32%.

The trend towards improvement

The fact that improvements were coming could be said already at the end of 1998 - beginning of 1999. The demand for domestic goods increased, the volume of production increased, and exports in physical volumes increased. By the beginning of the new millennium, there was an increase in real incomes of the population. According to official statistics, the number of Russian citizens who live below the poverty line has also decreased. If in 2000 this stratum of the population was almost 30%, then by 2009 the poor became 13%.

According to official data, since 1992, the increase in wages in Russia in rubles has been observed constantly (the graph is presented below). But the domestic currency did not differ in the stability of the exchange rate. Another reduction in dollar wages occurred during the global economic year, then in 2012-2014. The last time the decline was due to the global fall in oil prices, the Ukrainian crisis and sanctions against Russia.

A Brief Overview of Average Salaries

Today the average salary in Russia (2017) after deduction income tax is 30.8 thousand rubles. Minimum size wages from June of this year - 7,800 rubles, the cost of living for able-bodied citizens - 10,187 rubles. But Russia is too big a country to talk only about general figures - wages, the cost of goods, and the standard of living in general differ significantly in the regions.

The highest salaries in Russia by industry

In 2015, the highest salaries were in the oil and gas industry, financial analysts, mining and transport.

In 2016, the highest average salaries remained in the mining industry - 71 thousand rubles, in the fuel energy industry - 80.9 thousand rubles, mining - 51.2 thousand rubles. By the way, this is the usual salary of a janitor in Germany.

In the transport sector, the average monthly remuneration is 42.5 thousand. A driver of special equipment earns about 60 thousand, a loader - 46 thousand, a freight forwarder - 43 thousand, a mechanic - 40 thousand rubles. The salary of the driver is 29 thousand rubles.

Civil servants earn an average of 40 thousand monthly - this applies to department heads and middle managers. Senior management can be content with much higher salaries - about 68 thousand - almost like those of specialists working in the mining industry. The salary of state employees in Russia is much less.

Executives in almost every industry earn more than the average. So, for example, chief physicians, private doctors and directors of pharmacies can count on 65 thousand rubles, top managers in the hotel and restaurant business - 60-64 thousand rubles, foremen, foremen, masters of construction and dismantling works - 50-58 thousand rubles.

Other highly paid professions:

1. Narrow-profile specialists. Workers with a narrow specialization and practical experience find it more difficult to find a job, but their salary is much higher than that of ordinary employees. So, for example, the salary of civil aviation pilots in Russia is almost 300 thousand rubles with a flight time of 85 hours per month.
2. Programmers, system administrators and developers. In the nineties, there was a shortage of such specialists, an outflow of personnel abroad, now the market has not been saturated with highly qualified IT specialists. The professional is still missing. The average salary of a programmer is from 60 thousand rubles.
3. Internal Relations Managers. Such specialists are needed by large firms. Their responsibilities include ensuring contact between management and ordinary employees, ensuring loyal relations between employees, developing a corporate style, project work and so on. Professionals with experience can receive 100-250 thousand monthly.
4. Accountants are considered highly paid workers, but this requires a specialized higher education, work experience of at least three years, and the ability to navigate the laws. Corporations are ready to pay highly qualified specialists 350,000 rubles.
5. A young practicing lawyer can count on 35 thousand, more experienced colleagues earn 150 thousand a month.
6. Sales and purchasing managers, logisticians, marketers, auditors. In the first case, it is necessary to understand the psychology of the consumer, the characteristics of the goods, in the second case, you need to know the customs system and logistics. Any specialist needs experience and professional education. The average salary is 25-50 thousand.

Lowest wages by industry

The number of citizens with incomes below the subsistence level in 2016 amounted to almost 20 million people (13.5% of the country's population). The average salary of doctors in Russia (as well as social workers and teachers) in 2016 increased by only 5%, in agriculture, textile production, forestry and hunting - 10%.

In manufacturing, seamstresses, craftsmen, technologists, specialists receive from 16 (clothing, textiles) to 32 (pulp and paper) thousand rubles. In food products, specialists can count on 28.8 thousand, manufacturers of footwear and leather products - 20.5 thousand, furniture, wooden goods - 22 thousand.

Ancillary workers and some representatives of working specialties earn within the same limits, although even here everything depends on many factors. The salary of a turner in Russia is 15-20 thousand rubles. But a specialist who has permits and work experience can already count on 30-40 thousand or more. The highest paid employees are considered (about 60 thousand monthly), who are ready for a rotational work method.

You have to be content with small salaries in the hotel and hotel business. Administrators, waiters, porters and maids receive from 20 to 25 thousand rubles a month. Cooks get a little more - 34 thousand.

Salaries of workers in education, medicine, law enforcement

In the medical industry, the situation is not rosy. Laboratory assistants have to be content with 14 thousand rubles a month, pharmacists and pharmacists - 24 thousand, nurses and junior medical personnel - 19-23 thousand. Little more is earned in education. The average salary of a teacher in Russia is 26.7 thousand rubles, but this is really very average data.

The salary of a janitor in Russia is an average of 15,000 rubles according to official figures, but in practice, such workers can receive only 3,000 to 6,000 rubles. How much do technicians and some employees of housing departments get? In this area, the work of the manager of an HOA or housing and communal services is considered the highest paid - 46-66 thousand rubles.

In the Ministry of Internal Affairs (as with many teachers or doctors), most of the salary is made up of various individual allowances - for higher education, length of service, the presence of an officer rank, dangerous conditions work and so on. The average salary of a police officer is 30 thousand rubles. The bonus for conscientious performance of service can be from half the salary and more, for the risk to life and health - up to 100% of the salary, for special conditions (for snipers or cryptographers, for example) - up to 30% of the employee's salary without allowances.

Thus, the salary of a policeman who conscientiously serves, works in special conditions and devoted to the work of more than 25 years, may be about 70 thousand. This is also without taking into account military rank, higher education, advanced training and performance indicators. Salary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is difficult to quantify, as many variables affect the final amount.

Why "everyone is bad"

From the statistics it can be seen that the average salary of an ordinary employee allows him to provide him with a normal standard of living. But why then does everyone say that salaries in Russia are small? And why do official statistics and other data differ so much: statistics from open sources, public opinion polls?

Most likely, the fact is that those who receive enough will not speak out much, since everything suits them. But people who have to be content with low wages, as a rule, speak on behalf of everyone. That is why one gets the impression that "everyone is bad." But actually it is not.

Russian and European salaries

They especially like to mention low wages in Russia and European salaries. The lowest wages by European standards are in Romania ($684), Bulgaria ($591), Latvia ($1039), Lithuania ($867), Hungary ($1129). Most of all they receive in the Scandinavian countries ($ 4700-5800), France, Belgium, Austria, Germany. A little less - in Slovenia, Spain, Greece and Cyprus (an average of $ 2,500).

The salary of a police officer in Lithuania (salary only) is over $800, in France a trainee earns almost $2,000, and in Slovenia, $1,100. By the way, rallies are quite often held in the same Slovenia. The protesters demand a raise and are also dissatisfied with insufficient salaries.

Truck drivers in the Scandinavian countries receive 25-30 dollars per hour, an ordinary driver in France receives from 600 dollars a month. The salary of a public bus driver in Germany is a minimum of $1,500. A tram driver receives $3,500, and a construction machine operator $3,200. The salary of a turner in the same Germany is 2.5-3.5 thousand dollars.

The monthly remuneration of a pilot in Germany is 5.8 thousand dollars. This is $800 more than the salary of civil aviation pilots in Russia.

Comparison of standard of living

When comparing Russian salaries with European ones, another question is often forgotten - the cost of living in Russia cannot be equated with European ones. According to statistics, Russians spend 27.7% of their salary on food, in practice - half. Here is how much the same figure is in different European countries:

1. Lithuania, 33.7%.
2. Bulgaria, 33.2%.
3. Croatia, 31.7%.
4. Montenegro, 31.6%
5. Romania, 31.5%.
6. Latvia, 28.2%.
7. Estonia, 27%.
8. Poland, 24.9%.
9. Hungary, 23.5%.
10. Slovakia, 20.7%.
11. Greece, 20.4%.
12. Czech Republic, 20.2%.
13. Italy, 19.5%.
14. France, 16.4%.
15. Spain, 15.1%.
16. Iceland, 14.9%.
17. Slovenia, 14.3%.
18. Sweden, 13.5%.
19. Portugal, 13.3%.
20. Belgium, 13.2%.
21. Germany, 12.8%.
22. Finland, 12.7%.
23. Cyprus, 12.3%.
24. Ireland, 12.2%.
25. Austria, 12.1%.
26. Norway, 11.8%.
27. Switzerland, 11.5%.
28. UK, 11%.
29. Denmark, 10.6%.
30. Netherlands, 10%.

The leader is Luxembourg, whose citizens spend 8.6% of their total income per month on food.

The cost of living in Europe is much higher than in Russia, and high salaries do not always “cover” all the necessary expenses.

Nearest neighbors by GDP

So why are salaries low in Russia? In fact, Russian salaries are not at all low (there is a constant increase in remuneration for work), but correspond to reality. Yes, and it is much more reasonable to compare Russia with its closest neighbors, but not even geographically, but financially - with neighbors in terms of gross domestic product.

According to the International Monetary Fund, GDP per capita in Russia is 26.5 thousand dollars. The indicator provides the Russian Federation with 48th place in the ranking. The closest neighbors in terms of GDP are:

1. Latvia, 24.7 thousand dollars.
2. Greece, 26.3 thousand
3. Hungary, 26.5 thousand
4. Poland, 26.6 thousand
5. Kazakhstan, 24.9 thousand

Malaysia ($26.2 thousand), Antigua and Barbuda ($24.2 thousand), Saint Kitts and Nevis (25.1 thousand), Seychelles (26.3 thousand) and other countries are not taken into account, compared with which for Russia is at least strange and incomprehensible.

So, in Hungary, for example, with the same level of GDP per capita, the average salary is $600 per month, in Russia the same figure is $589. Hungarians working in the automotive industry earn an average of $1500, Russians - $750. Low-skilled workers in Hungary can count on $600 per month (a little over 35,000 rubles), highly qualified specialists - $1,200 (72,000 rubles).

It would seem that there is a higher wage, but then it's time to remember about European prices. In the same Hungary to rent one-room apartment in the city center you can pay at least 15 thousand rubles in terms of the national currency, in a residential area - for 7 thousand. The cost of housing and communal services - from 2 thousand rubles in summer to 10 thousand rubles in winter. The situation is the same with other expenses.

It can be concluded that the question of why wages are low in Russia becomes simply incorrect, because if we compare the economy of the Russian Federation with the economies of European countries that are similar in terms of basic indicators, Russians do not live in poverty at all, but at a quite decent level. Although, of course, one cannot deny the existence of problems in Russia.

The problem is not only in the striking social inequality of cities, in which a significant part of their inhabitants is doomed to survival, the issue of social inequality of the population is no less acute. For example, in Moscow, 20% of the highest paid residents earned an average of 145 thousand rubles in 2013. per month, and all the rest - 35 thousand rubles, follows from the data of Rosstat.

Is there life beyond the Moscow Ring Road?

To compare the standard of living in different cities of Russia, we correlated the salary of a city dweller with the subsistence level in the region (unfortunately, Rosstat does not publish data on subsistence levels in cities). The average for Russian cities is 3.9 times, although in 1990 it was more than 4.5 times.

Why such a difference if salaries have grown in real terms? First, the structure of the consumer minimum has changed compared to the past: the volume of meat, milk and fruits has increased significantly, the amount of bread and potatoes has decreased. Secondly, the price of services has increased and, accordingly, their weight in the consumer basket. The third factor is related to the fact that in some periods the rise in prices for basic goods (bread, milk, etc.) significantly outstripped average inflation.

As before, a significant part of the subsistence minimum is products, and, in fact, only they are prescribed in the structure of the subsistence minimum. In the government, this is how it is calculated - by simply multiplying the food basket by 2 times. Thus, in 2014, the minimum budget for an able-bodied resident of an average Russian city amounted to 8.7 thousand rubles. per month, including the minimum food costs of 3.9 thousand rubles. (45%) and taxes (11%).

However, if you survive, eating on 130 rubles. per day, you can still contrive, then will the remaining 3.8 thousand rubles be enough. (and in Moscow - 6.25 thousand rubles) for everything else (payment of utility bills, communications, transport, clothing, household appliances, etc.) - the question is rather rhetorical.

The hardest thing is for the citizens of Crimea, where in 2013 the salary was only enough for 2.4 times the subsistence level, and this is primarily due to the low standard of living in Ukraine. By January 2015, the situation had slightly improved - it became 2.6. However, this is still the worst result. After the Crimea come the Ivanovo and Smolensk regions (2.7), where the industry has declined over 25 years by 75 and 47%, respectively.

But if we take the situation not on average for the region, but in individual cities, then the leader with a minus sign will be the Yakut city of Verkhoyansk, one of the coldest cities in the world with a population of only about 1 thousand people. In 2012, they had to survive on 21 thousand rubles. with a living wage of 13.5 thousand rubles. Also in the list of cities with the poorest residents are Sursk in the Penza region (1.6), Demidov and Rudnya in the Smolensk region (1.7), Vorsma in the Nizhny Novgorod region (1.7). In general, the cities of the European part of Russia with up to 12 thousand people are the poorest - the average salary of residents is 2.5 living wages.

In addition, in 2014 they became even more impoverished - in these cities, the ratio of wages to the subsistence minimum decreased by 5-10%. Cause? Salaries remained at the same level, and the cost of living increased.

And where are higher salaries in Russia? In terms of the average wage to the subsistence minimum for 2013-2014, the oil cities of the Yamalo-Nenets (5.6) and Khanty-Mansiysk (5.2) Autonomous Okrugs, as well as large cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people (4 ,3).

But the absolute leader in terms of income is the city of Primorsk, Leningrad Region, where the average salary is enough for 8.9 of the subsistence minimum. Less than 6 thousand people live in it, but the average salary in 2013 was even higher than in Moscow - 57 thousand rubles. Primorsk is the final node of the Baltic pipeline system with a commercial seaport for oil loading.

The top five also includes the city of Nadym, where Gazprom has more than 10% of Russian gas production, as well as the nuclear towns of Polyarnye Zori in the Murmansk region (Kola NPP) and Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad NPP). Nadym has the highest average salary among Russian cities - 90.4 thousand rubles.

Loaf Index

In order to check our own calculations and the correctness of our conclusions, we decided to correlate the data on wages with the cost of, perhaps, the most basic commodity - bread. Unfortunately, the selection of cities by Rosstat for individual goods is not complete - therefore, only 200 cities were used in the calculations. However, the calculations show a similar picture. The highest loaf index (this is how we called the amount of bread that a city resident can buy with his salary) is among the oil cities and large cities - Naryan-Mar, Surgut and the “diamond capital” of Russia - the city of Mirny in Yakutia are in the lead. Small towns in the European part of Russia and Siberia, as well as cities in the North Caucasus, have the lowest rate.

At the same time, the positions of the cities of the Chernozem region and the South of Russia in the loaf index turned out to be higher than when calculating the indicator of the average salary to the subsistence minimum. What is the reason? Although wages are low in these cities, the price of bread here is the lowest in Russia, because both regions are leaders in growing cereals.

Who does not work, he masters the budget

In 2014, officially registered unemployment in Russian cities reached its lowest level since 1992, amounting to 7.7 people per 1,000 citizens of working age.

However, these are not all unemployed. There are still those who are looking for work, but have not registered with employment centers. According to the ILO methodology, there are about 4.5 times more of them in Russia than registered unemployed.

The least officially unemployed are in Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as oil towns and satellites of the capitals, where the figure does not exceed 0.4%. The absolute leaders are the cities of Odintsovo and Sertolovo in the Leningrad Region, where there is only one officially registered unemployed person per 10,000 able-bodied people.

In the cities of the Far North and primordially Russian cities of European Russia with up to 12 thousand people, the situation is worse, where official unemployment is 1.2 and 1.6%, respectively.

However, this cannot be compared with the cities of Chechnya and Ingushetia, where there are many unemployed youth. Only official unemployment in the cities of Chechnya on average for 2012-2014 amounted to 15%, in Ingushetia - 9.5%. Most high rate unemployment was recorded in Gudermes (25% in 2012), followed by the Ingush Malgobek and Karabulak (24 and 23% respectively in the same year).

It is noteworthy that approximately as many unemployed people in Chechnya could be registered in employment centers as they were considered as such. Or even more! According to Rosstat, unemployment in the republic in 2009 was estimated at 35%, and 54% of the economically active population were registered, and therefore applying for benefits at the end of the year.

However, the situation in these two regions is “improving” every year due to large-scale budget transfers and the creation of jobs for the development of these funds. If in 2006, according to the ILO methodology, unemployment in Chechnya was 68%, then in 2013 it was only 27%. The reasons for the decline are large cash injections from the federal center and an increase in employment in the public sector. For example, according to , the number of officials per 1,000 people of the able-bodied population in Chechnya was 37.7, in Ingushetia - 41.2, with an average value for Russia of 20.4.

How we thought

1. The primary source of information is the database of the GMC Rosstat "Economics of cities", as well as the database of municipalities.

2. The average monthly nominal accrued wages of employees of large, medium-sized enterprises and non-profit organizations for January-December of each year without small businesses.

3. The reduced salary was calculated by dividing the average salary in the city by the subsistence minimum in the region. Correction factors for the Far North zones were taken into account. The main rating reflects data for 2012-2014.

4. The reduced wages by cities of the regions and by types of cities were calculated as a weighted average by the number of population of the corresponding year.

5. Hidden incomes of the population are not taken into account, which on average in Russia can reach 10% or more.

6. The level of officially registered unemployment is calculated as the ratio of the number of unemployed registered in employment centers at the end of the year to the working age population. The data for 2011-2014 were compared with the statistics of employment centers. In case of discrepancies, the official information prevailed.

7. When publishing information on official unemployment, Rosstat does not indicate whether the data are given only for an urban settlement or for the district of the same name, that is, taking into account the surrounding rural settlements. Therefore, the data for this indicator were rechecked and conservatively adjusted using coefficients.