Russian Citizens' Income down 15 Percent in 1999
MOSCOW (Jan. 9) XINHUA - The 1999 year witnessed Russians' real income dropping 15 percent from 1998, said the Russian Economy Ministry Sunday.
Preliminary reports said that the nominal designated average monthly wage received by workers of state-run and small enterprises amounted to 1,565 rubles (57 U.S. dollars) in December 1999, which was 49 percent more than that in December 1998.
But in dollar terms the average monthly wage stood at 67-68 dollars over the past four months of 1999, against 74 dollars in December 1998.
Particularly, the real designated wage of a worker, with consumer prices taken into account, decreased by over 20 percent in comparison with 1998's level.