OREANDA-NEWS. July 29, 2008. In December 2008, the average monthly salary in Belarus should amount to Br966 thousand or \\$460. The salaries in the budget sector should average Br903 thousand or USD 430, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko said at the session of the Council of Ministers of Belarus on July 29. The session was dedicated to the socio-economic development of the country in January-June 2008.

The President of Belarus commissioned the government with the task to substantially increase the average monthly salaries of the population by 2010. In order to fulfill this task, in 2008 the salaries should rise by 25.9% to reach Br883 thousand. The procedures of raising salaries pursued by all the governmental bodies, oblast executive committees and the Minsk City Council were revised.

In H1 2008, the nominal average monthly salary in Belarus was equal to Br817.3 thousand which is 23.8% up from the same period of 2007. In June the salaries reached Br892.4 thousand or USD 418.8, the salary of employees of industrial enterprises being USD 469.7, construction companies - USD 553.3, transport - USD 474.6, communications - USD 454.

In H1 2008, the average monthly salary of employees of state-run enterprises rose by 14.8% to reach Br684.5 thousand, in June it was equal to Br744 thousand or USD 349.1.

The actual earnings of Belarusians rose by 8.4% during this time.

Vladimir Semashko noted that in H1 2008, the intersectorial differentiation in salaries fell, while the purchasing capacity keeps rising.

In H1 2008, the growth of labour productivity exceeds the growth of the real salaries by 1.8 percentage points.