OREANDA-NEWS  The staffing of Russian companies in January-March decreased to the lowest in history, and their hiring plans for the second quarter of this year reached a maximum, according to the materials of the Central Bank.

"Staffing levels in the first quarter of 2024 decreased to the lowest in the entire history of observations. The companies' hiring plans for the second quarter of 2024 are at their maximum," the materials say.

In addition, according to a survey by the Central Bank, the investment activity of companies in January-March significantly expanded: its estimates reached record levels and turned out to be higher than expectations. At the same time, the companies' forecast for their own investment activity for the second quarter has updated to the maximum.

According to Rosstat, the unemployment rate in Russia in April 2024 updated the historical minimum and amounted to 2.6%. The previous historical low was recorded in March 2024, when the indicator dropped to 2.7%.

The Bank of Russia conducts regular surveys of enterprises in the non-financial sector of the economy. The monitoring of enterprises is based on a wide coverage of respondents: on average, in 2023, about 15 thousand enterprises participated in surveys every month.