The real unemployment rate is not decreasing, despite the increase in jobs, Gagik Makaryan, Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia, told NEWS.am. 

According to him, the increase in jobs is due to the legalization of economic entities that were previously in the "shadows," the emergence of new businesses and the resumption of activities of enterprises that were closed down during the coronavirus period.

"According to my calculations, the unemployment rate is at least 15-16%," Makaryan added.

Authorities report more than 660,000 jobs in Armenia. That figure has grown by 60-70 thousand, which experts also attribute to the inflow of Russian tourists, who have formed an additional demand for labor in the service sector.

Experts say that construction sector specialists, electricians, technologists, engineers and workers in the industrial sector, truck drivers, textile industry specialists, wine-makers, cooks, equipment maintenance specialists and electronics specialists are in highest demand in Armenia. At the same time the deficit of these specialists in the country is growing with time.

Aram Danielyan