Gross regional product in Tatarstan for January – March 2008 made up 305 billion rubles

Gross regional product in Tatarstan for January – March 2008 made up 305 billion rubles with the growth of 8 % in comparison with the same period in 2007, said Minister of Economy, Marat Safiullin, speaking at traditional brifing at the House of Government.

The amount of goods shipped for this period is estimated at 482 billion rubles. The retail trade circulation for January – June 2008 made up 168 billion rubles, he argued.

Minister of Economy also said that the growth of wages fund for January – May made up 95 billion rubles, or 133%. In general, the growth of average wage for the first half-year period made up 15,4%.

Current level of unemployment in the republic makes 1,2%. According to Marat Safiullin, the level of unemployment is still low, and this rate is reliable. However, the main problem for the republic is the lack of blue-collar specialists. Marat Safiullin also noted that in some agricultural regions of Tatarstan against the background of industrialization the loss of jobs is taking place. All these people will join the ranks of the unemployed.

Answering the journalists’ questions Marat Safiullin said that the amount of people with the income below the subsistence level in Tatarstan makes up 8,5%.

As concerns the income differentiation among the population, in 2007 it made up 15,5 times in Tatarstan (16,8 in Russia). In 2008 the difference between the income of the poorest and the richest strata of society will make up 14,5 (16 in Russia). It is expected that by the 2011 the income differentiation among the population will make up 12 times in Tatarstan and 13,5 in Russia (according to predicted data of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation).