YEREVAN. – We shall increase the minimum [monthly] salary to 85 thousand [drams]. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this Wednesday while presenting the 2021-2026 program of the government of Armenia.

Referring to the social security issues of the citizens, Pashinyan said: "To equate the average amount of the minimum pension with the values of food and consumer baskets, respectively, to set the minimum [monthly] salary at 85 thousand drams, to eliminate extreme poverty. These are quite good targets, we will need serious efforts to implement these targets properly," Pashinyan added.

He noted that the government has important work to eliminate unemployment. "Of course, jobs have been created and are being created in Armenia, but it is a special goal and target for us to be able to promote jobs in the high-wage segment as much as possible. In this regard, we consider it important to maintain and accelerate the dynamics we have in the high-tech sector," he said.

According to Pashinyan, the Armenian government plans to have about 35 thousand employees in the high-tech sector by the year 2026. "To increase the turnover of the sector to 5 billion drams, which will make 6-7% of the gross domestic product. According to the data of 2020, this indicator is 4%. About 16,000 jobs in the high-tech sector will be created in Armenia in the next five years," he added.