Press conference “National experience of Belarus in achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the field of employment and labor motivation” was held in Minsk

The press conference “National experience of Belarus in achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the field of employment and labour motivation” was held on 29 October 2019 at the Press Centre of the Press House. The event was attended by: Alyona Dokukina – Deputy Head of the Department of Employment Policy of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus; Tatyana Kudevich – Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee, Head of the Department of Employment of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of Minsk City Executive Committee; Natalia Ignatovich – Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Minsk City Executive Committee; Dmitry Shevchuk – Head of the Main Department of Social Partnernership and Labour, Labour Union Federation of Belarus; Aleksej Chistodarskij – Head of UNDP PR and Information Department.

In her speech Alyona Dokukina, Deputy Head of the Department of Employment Policy of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus, stressed the information that during the past period of the current year more than 140 thousand people applied to the employment service, and more than 100 thousand of them received assistance in finding employment. The situation on the labour market is stable, and the total number of people employed in the economy remains almost unchanged. According to the latest data, for the first 9 months of this year the growth rate of the number of employed in the economy was 99.8%. The unemployment rate has decreased: in August 2019 it was 3.9%, while last year it was 4.8%.

“An important aspect of the work of the employment service is the speedy return of the unemployed to the labour market. The average period of search for a job this year was 7 months, last year – 8”, – said the speaker. According to her, the number of vacancies and the demand for labor are growing in the country.

Throughout the year, more than 80 thousand vacancies are available at the national bank, among which working professions dominate. As practice shows, citizens are actively looking for a job on their own, including looking for a suitable place in the database: more than 12 million visits in 9 months. The unemployed can take training in more than 100 professions, 10% of which are integrated. “We focus on training the unemployed for a specific employer. This ensures that they are fully employed. For 9 months more than 4 thousand people were sent for training. This is 5% of all those in need of employment,” said the representative of the Ministry.

Natalia Ignatovich, Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Minsk City Executive Committee, said that the unemployment rate in Minsk region is the lowest among the regions of the country. The unemployment rate in this region today is 0.2%. The situation on the labour market is characterized by an increase in the number of jobs. There are 12 vacancies per unemployed person, which is twice as many as in the previous year. The most popular professions in rural areas are animal breeders, zootechnicians, veterinarians, doctors, nurses. The state subsidy for opening own business was granted to 219 people, more often it was about hairdressing services and household services. One of the proven forms of employment organization in Minsk region is resettlement for the purpose of employment.

“Employment services work with employers in another region. A tripartite agreement is concluded and the unemployed person moves to another district, where he or she is provided with housing (dormitory, apartment or house) together with family members, including children. This year alone, 35 families and their families changed jobs,” said Natalya Ignatovich.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection is responsible for implementing the following Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 1: Eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere;

Goal 5. Ensuring gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls;

Goal 8. Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all;

Goal 10. Reducing inequalities within and among countries.