Zee Beam News

08-03-2005 RBC News - Incomes of the upper 10 percent of Russia's rich made up 29.6 percent of the country's total personal earnings in the first half of this year, against 30 percent in the same period of last year. And incomes of the bottom 10 percent of the country's poor accounted for 2 percent of total earnings, unchanged from the first quarter of 2004, the federal statistics service of the Russian Federation reported. 1.3 percent of Russian people had an average cash income of up to RUR 1,000 a month per person in the first half of this year, against 2.8 percent from January through July last year. 35.2 percent received incomes of more than RUR 7,000, up from 25.2 percent 12 months before. Total cash incomes of Russian people reached RUR 5.944 trillion (about $207.8 billion) in the first six months of this year, up 21.4 percent from the same period of last year. Consumer spending stood at RUR 4.3073 trillion (about $150.6 billion), 24.6 percent more than in the first half of last year. Savings amounted to RUR 1.1228 trillion (about $39.26 billion), up 23.3 percent on the year. Real disposable incomes climbed 10.6 percent in June 2005 compared with June 2004, and they rose 8.3 percent in the first half of this year. Cash earnings in June averaged RUR 7,713 (about $270) per person, a year-to-date increase of 24.7 percent and 7.6 percent more than in the previous month. The average nominal salary in June stood at RUR 8.655 ($302.6), 22.2 percent more than a year ago and 7 percent up on the previous month. The average real salary in June was 7.5 percent up on the year and 6.3 percent more than in May 2005. The average pension in June was reported at RUR 2,327(about $81.4), an increase of 23 percent on the year. Real pensions climbed 8.2 percent in June compared with the same period last year, and it dropped 0.6 percent on the previous month. The number of the unemployed in June increased 0.4 percent on the year, to 5.552 million, which is 7.5 percent of the country's economically active population. The number of officially registered unemployed persons rose to 1.816 million, 16.7 percent more than in June 2004, including 323,400 in the Chechen Republic.