MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's southern federal district has the highest rate of unemployment, 6.1% against the country's average of 2.5%, a deputy prime minister said Monday.
Alexander Zhukov told his government colleagues that only 55% of the local eligible population had jobs compared to the nationwide average of 60%.
In Chechnya, Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic, about 70% of the economically active population is unemployed, Zhukov said.
Against this background, the deputy prime minister said the provision of jobs was very important and "requires a complex approach," particularly in regions with an unstable labor market.
"I hope that today's session will help us identify solutions to the problem," Zhukov said.
