MOSCOW, March 25 The Yamalo-Nenets and Nenets Autonomous Okrugs are the leaders in the ranking in terms of wages in small towns of Russia, Chechnya and Ingushetia close the list, the study shows *.
The situation on the labor market
The situation on the Russian labor market in 2023 continued to change quite quickly and adapt to new economic realities. Last year there was a noticeable increase in wages and a decrease in unemployment.
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According to official statistics from Rosstat, the nominal average salary increased by 14.1% in 2023, after rising by 12.1% and 11.5% in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Thus, in general, over the last three years, nominal wages have increased by 43%. In monetary terms, the average monthly salary in Russia (including personal income tax payments) exceeded 64 thousand rubles per month. Such a rapid increase in wages is associated with a shortage of labor resources, experts explain. For example, unemployment at the end of 2023 remained at 2.9%, which is a historical record.
Currently, the situation with salaries is quite different both from an industry perspective and regionally, analysts note. Moreover, even within regions the situation varies quite noticeably from one locality to another.
To determine the quantitative differences between salaries in large cities and in the provinces, experts conducted the fifth annual study on the level of salaries in small and medium-sized localities in Russia and compiled a rating. The ratio of the average salary in the province (medium and small settlements in the regions) to the regional cost of a fixed set of goods and services was used as the main ranking indicator in the rating.
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How the rating was calculated
Average salaries in small and medium-sized settlements are calculated for each region separately, minus the largest cities (with a population of more than 200 thousand people or with more than 50 thousand employees in large and medium-sized enterprises) and regional capitals. Average salaries are determined based on official municipal and regional statistics for large and medium-sized enterprises for 2023, taking into account personal income tax payments.
The cost of a fixed set of goods and services is calculated on average for 12 months of 2023. Regions were ranked according to the ratio of average wages in small and medium-sized cities to the cost of a fixed set of goods and services. The rating does not include Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol, which have the status of cities of federal significance.
Northern regions are leaders
Leaders in terms of average salaries in small and medium-sized populated areas points, as in previous years, have become the northern and Far Eastern regions, in which mineral extraction is developed, including on a rotational basis.
In these subjects of the Federation, workers in the extractive industries are quite numerous, and their work is highly paid. At the same time, mining is often carried out by visiting workers in places remote from large cities, which determines high salaries in the provinces in such regions.
The first place in the ranking was taken by the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, which at the end of 2023 is characterized by the fact that the average salary in its province is enough to purchase 5.3 fixed sets of goods and services. At the same time, the average net salary here was 128 thousand rubles per month, that is, 2.8 times more than the median level in small and medium-sized cities.
The second position is occupied by the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where workers with an average salary can purchase 4.6 standard sets and with an absolute value of 118 thousand rubles per month. The Magadan region closes the top three with a standard score of 4.5 and an absolute value of 129 thousand rubles.
The fourth and fifth places in the ranking are occupied by the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug with scores of 4.4 and 3.9 standard consumer set, respectively. At the same time, the net average salary in small and medium-sized settlements in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug amounted to 99 thousand rubles, and in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug — 136 thousand rubles. Experts also note that in 2023 there were no changes in the positions and composition of the top 5 regions.
The first region that does not specialize in mining and at the same time is characterized by a high ratio of wages to standard sets is the Amur region with a score of 3.6 sets, which corresponds to eighth place in the ranking. According to experts, this result of the Amur region is associated with the largest projects in the region, including the Vostochny Cosmodrome, the Amur Gas Chemical Complex and the Amur Gas Processing Plant.
The top ten also included the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (3.9 set of goods and services to wages in this region), Sakhalin (3.8), Irkutsk (3.6) and Murmansk regions (3.5).
As the study showed, in the country as a whole, the median value of the ratio of the average salary in the province and the cost of a fixed set of goods and services is at 2.38 at the end of 2023, which is 0.18 percentage points more than a year earlier. Thus, workers in the province were able to afford to buy a little more goods and services over the course of the year. At the bottom of the table, the ratio of the average salary in small and medium-sized settlements to the cost of a fixed set of goods and services is at the level of 1.4-1.8. In general, in five regions of Russia this ratio in 2023 was less than 1.8. The lower part of the ranking is closed mainly by the republics of the North Caucasus.
Salary above 100 thousand
The highest nominal salary in small and medium-sized cities was noted in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, where minus personal income tax it amounted to 136 thousand rubles. This is followed by the Magadan Region (129 thousand rubles), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (128 thousand rubles), the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (118 thousand rubles), the Kamchatka Territory (107 thousand rubles) and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (103 thousand rubles). Thus, in 2023, six regions had salaries of more than 100 thousand rubles, compared to four in the ranking at the end of 2022.
Salary growth in the province in 2023 was observed in all regions, and the median increase was +15.4%. Thus, wages in the province last year grew even faster than in the country as a whole. The same picture was observed in 2022, when salaries in the provinces grew noticeably faster than in large cities. Thus, in small and medium-sized settlements in recent years, wages have slightly reduced the gap with megacities.
In terms of the dynamics of individual regions, the most significant increase in wages in small and medium-sized settlements occurred in the Republic of Buryatia, where over the year they grew by 26 in nominal terms %. In addition, a significant increase in provincial salaries is noted in the Kamchatka Territory (+22.5%), in Tatarstan (+22.4%), in the Altai Republic (+20.5%), in Smolensk (+20.1%) and Bryansk regions (+20.1%).
Despite the positive dynamics, recently salaries in large cities are still almost always higher than in the provinces. In the country as a whole, salaries in provincial settlements are approximately 20% lower than in large cities. In only four regions of Russia, wages for employees in small and medium-sized settlements turned out to be higher than in large cities and regional capitals.
Among such regions were the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Komi, Amur Region and Buryatia. As experts explain, in the Nenets Okrug and Komi this is due to the resource-based nature of the regional economy; the “economic centers” here are located in small settlements where mining is carried out. The Amur region most likely stands out from the general background due to several large construction projects and projects.
Analysts believe that in 2024 we can expect continued positive dynamics in wage levels both in the country as a whole and in the province, where wage growth will continue to outpace the Russian average.
*The rating was prepared by order of the agency by RIA Rating specialists.