In early 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had not yet expected the onset of the global financial crisis, announced that the new century is witnessing a steady rise in the wages of Russians. At the same time, the public's attention was drawn to the fact that against the background of a modest increase in GDP, it was necessary to urgently increase labor productivity, and the level of wages could wait for better times. Returning to previous years, it can be noted that the average salary in the country in 2004 was $ 242, and in 2008 it was already at the level of $ 588.
For Russians, the issue of low wages is one of the most pressing issues. Even with the modern format of communication between the President of the Russian Federation and the citizens of the country, when the head of state answers the most pressing questions in real time, it was the discussion of small salaries that became the most active. So, in 2002, 2005, 2008 and the period 2014-2017 (annually), this topic was the most in demand. And after the global financial crisis and the onset of the "era of international sanctions", the authorities openly admitted that salaries in Russia are low.
Bad times and tendencies for improvement
In order to objectively assess the level of wages in our country and the degree of state participation in the process of raising the standard of living of citizens, it is necessary to analyze the general trends of these processes, starting with the critical "nineties". Then the standard of living was determined exclusively by social benefits and wages, since there were simply no additional sources of income. Moreover, against the background of a deep economic crisis, salaries of that time were not stable.
It is interesting that salaries in the crisis "nineties" experienced powerful falls and rises, which is clearly seen in their following average indicators:
- mid-1991 - $ 341;
- end of 1991 - US $ 101.6;
1992 - $ 24
- 1993 - $ 140;
- 1994 - $ 67;
According to experts, the standard of living of the inhabitants of our country in the first half of the 1990s dropped to the level of the 1960s. In addition, people of the older and middle generation remember well that at that time there were massive cases of non-payment of wages. This process, terrible in its consequences, has spread to all regions of the country to one degree or another. The maximum level of wage arrears was observed in the north-west of Russia (69%), and in the Far East this figure was 67.9%. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the debt at that time was about 32%.
The period of time 1998-1999 began to be characterized by the normalization of the economic situation in the country. And already at the beginning of the new century, positive trends became obvious to everyone. At this time, statistical data eloquently indicated that the number of Russian citizens living below the poverty line began to decline. So, in 2000, this socio-economic stratum accounted for 30% of the population, and already in 2009 - only 13%.
If the years of the new millennium were characterized by a general positive trend in the growth of wages of Russians, then their decrease was observed in 2008 and in the period 2012-2014, which was directly related to the global economic crisis and the situation due to oil prices, the crisis in Ukraine and international sanctions. against Russia.
As of 2017, the economic situation on this issue is as follows:
- the average salary is 30, 8 thousand rubles;
- the minimum wage - 7, 8 thousand rubles;
- living wage - 10, 2 thousand rubles.
However, regional indicators can differ significantly from the average, which is associated with many specific circumstances (the cost of goods, living standards, etc.). Interestingly, in recent years, workers in the raw materials industry, financial analysts and transport workers have had the highest salaries. And the average level of civil servants has an average salary in the country of about 40 thousand rubles.
The highest salaries in the country
If we single out narrow-profile specialists with the highest salaries in Russia, then we get the following picture:
- accountants with work experience - 350 thousand rubles / month;
- civil aviation pilots - 300 thousand rubles per month with a flight time of 85 hours / month;
- managers for internal communications - 100-250 thousand rubles / month;
- lawyers with experience - 150 thousand rubles / month;
- IT specialists - from 60 thousand / month;
- sales and purchasing managers, transport logisticians, auditors and marketers - 50 thousand rubles / month.
Smallest salaries
In 2016, 13.5% of the country's population (20 million people) ended up outside the living wage. The average salary of doctors, teachers, and social workers in Russia has grown by 5% this year, while in the textile industry, agriculture and the forestry industry, this figure was 10%.
As an example of low wages in the country, the following monthly average data can be cited:
- manufacturing - from 16 to 32 thousand rubles;
- food industry - 29 thousand rubles;
- shoe manufacturers - 20, 5 thousand rubles;
- manufacturers of wood products - 22 thousand rubles;
- turners - 15-20 thousand rubles (high qualifications - up to 40 thousand rubles, and on a rotational basis - up to 60 thousand rubles);
- employees of the hotel and restaurant business (maids, receptionists, administrators, waiters) - up to 25 thousand rubles;
- medical workers (laboratory assistants - 14 thousand rubles, pharmacists and pharmacists - 24 thousand rubles, junior medical staff - up to 23 thousand rubles);
- teachers - 26, 7 thousand rubles;
- wipers - 15 thousand rubles (official data, but in reality often - 3-6 thousand rubles);
- police officers - 30 thousand rubles (except for bonuses, coefficients for the risks of serving in special conditions and length of service).
Why is everything so bad with salaries in the country
It is important to understand that data on salaries from different sources (official data and open data based on surveys of the population) can vary significantly. It often seems that the average salary in the country is not at all as low as many claim. It is possible that it is precisely those strata of the population who really have a low level of income that shape public opinion. After all, it is precisely this category of citizens that, as a rule, takes an active life position in our country when it comes to open discussions of the standard of living.
It is interesting to compare the salary in our country with similar data for Europe. So, the lowest level of wages in “dollar equivalent” is in Hungary (1129), Latvia (1039), Lithuania (867), Romania (684), Bulgaria (591). And the highest rates, ranging from $ 4,700 to $ 5,800, are in Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries. In Spain, Slovenia, Greece and Cyprus, this figure is about 2, 5 thousand US dollars.
However, in order to adequately compare the lives of Russians with their European neighbors, it is important to take into account such an economic indicator as GDP. Indeed, based on the economic rather than geographic proximity of indicators, it is necessary to form an appropriate opinion. And at present, according to the official data of the IMF, Russia has a GDP per capita of 26 thousand US dollars. In this case, our country ranks 48th in the ranking, and its closest thematic neighbors are Latvia, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Kazakhstan.
So, in Russia, the average monthly salary is 589 US dollars today. And in Hungary it is equal to about 600 US dollars. Moreover, Hungarian car manufacturers receive $ 1,500 a month, while their Russian counterparts receive only $ 750. Continuing to compare Hungary with Russia, it can be noted that in this country workers with low qualifications receive about 600 US dollars per month, and those with high qualifications - 1, 2 thousand US dollars. And taking into account European prices for housing, housing and communal services, food, etc., it can be unequivocally stated that, according to economic indicators, Russians cannot be considered deprived from this point of view.
