OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2012. The number of officially registered jobless persons in Belarus increased 11.7% in January-February 2012 to 31,500 as of March 1, 2012, an official with the National Statistics Committee told.

Belarus’ unemployment rate was at 0.7% of the economically active population in late February 2012, on the same level as in late February 2011.

Besides, 43,900 people, or 1.3% of Belarus’ labor force, were made to work part-time in January 2012, up from 0.9% in January 2011.

The number of Belarusians that went on a forced leave in January 2011 totalled 27,900 workers, up 27.3% on the month.

Most of the empty man-days in January 2012, at 150,500, were in industry, accounting for 59.2% of the total.

According to the Statistics Committee, in February 2012, the average unemployment benefit amounted to 106,600 Belarusian rubles (Br), or USD 13.2 at the official rate of the central bank, or to 14.8% of the minimal subsistence wage.

In January-February 2012, 42,900 Belarusians were registered as unemployed, 76.7% of all people that applied to job centers.

In January 2012, Belarus’ labor force was estimated at 4,557,000 people, down 2.2% from the 2011 level.