YEREVAN. – An unemployment rate in Armenia fell from 17.3 to 16.2 percent last year, Labor and Social Affairs Minister Artem Asatryan told reporters.

A total of 12,650 people, 28% of them young people, were employed with the help of State Employment Service agency last year.

He noted that starting from 2014 the ministry has been engaged in active projects on fight against unemployment after unemployment benefits were canceled in 2013. 

Last year the budget program on fight against unemployment amounted to 2.3 billion drams, out of them 1.9 billion was allocated for unemployment benefits.