The average pay in Russia in May 2002 stood at 4,234 roubles having increased by 38.6 per cent as against May 2001, the State Committee on Statistics of Russia reported.
Compared to April 2002, the earnings of inhabitants of Russia rose by 3 per cent. In May 2002 the average per capita cash incomes in absolute terms amounted to 3,203 roubles which was 23.7 per cent more than the respective figure for 2001. But compared to April 2002 the incomes fell by 14.1 per cent in May but this is explained, most likely, by the long "May vacation." The State Committee on Statistics, as usual, analyzed also the situation of the personnel of the budget-financed sphere. Over the year the wages of physicians, teachers and workers of culture and art rose having come closer to the level of earnings in the industrial fields, largely due to the indexation by 1.89 times (though it was not carried out in full). It should be said, however, that we are talking about the calculated but not really paid money.
It is still a long way to the set aim in evening out wages in the budget-financed sphere and in industry: in April 2002 the level of the earnings of medics reached only 61 per cent of the pay of an "average" worker, and the wages of workers of education, culture and art - 56-57 per cent. As a matter of fact, last year this gap was 10-15 per cent larger.
The Statistics Committee made public one more alarming indicator. Our numerical strength further decreased. In January-April 2002 the population of Russia diminished by 301,700 to 143.7 million. As many as 10,600 more inhabitants of Russia died compared to the same months of last year. On the whole, in the country the number of those who died exceeds the number of the new-born children by 1.7 times (the figure for January-April 2001 was 1.8 times). The natural diminution of the population was registered in a sweeping majority of entities of Russia. A natural growth of the population in January-April 2002 was registered only in 13 regions (the figure was 14 for January-April 2001).