Belarus’ Ministry of Labour and Social Protection listed achievements over 30 years of presidency

On the occasion of the recently celebrated 30th anniversary of the institution of presidency in Belarus, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection named the most significant achievements in the social and labour sphere

Firstly, the population’s real disposable incomes have grown more than 9-fold since 1995.

Secondly, the level of poverty has decreased significantly: the share of the population with disposable incomes below the subsistence minimum budget on average per capita (the low income level) has decreased 10.7 times (from 38.4 percent in 1994 to 3.6 percent in 2023).

Thirdly, the unemployment figures have dropped. The State Employment Service has employed almost 5.3 million people over the past 30 years in Belarus. The number of registered unemployed decreased from 101.2 thousand in 1994 to 3.3 thousand in 2023, and the unemployment rate, calculated in accordance with the International Labour Organisation’s methodology, is now among the lowest ones since 2012: in Q1 2024, it stood at 3.3 percent (in 2016, the figure was 5.8 percent).

Fourthly, occupational injuries are less common now: over the past three decades, the rate of accidents at work has decreased more than 8-fold (from 16 thousand in 1994 to 1.9 thousand in 2023).