(Source: http://kremlinpress.ru/news)

The Vice Prime Minister Olga Golodets noted that the number of Russians in need has significantly increased recently due to a sharp drop in incomes. She stated this speaking at the Russian Business Week, as RIA Novosti reports.

“We have recorded a very sharp drop in incomes. It is sharp both in the real level of wages and incomes in general. This all is reflected in the decrease in the purchasing power of the population, and (...) retail turnover which is reducing, and the reduction has a high rate” - she stressed.

In this connection the Vice Prime Minister stated that in the near future they would hold negotiations with employers and workers’ representatives, in particular, they will touch upon wage regulation mechanisms. In addition, Golodets drew attention to the fact that during 2015 the country’s population has lost more than 200 billion roubles in the funded pension system. “And today we have no determined source, we don’t know when and who will reimburse the money” – “Interfax” quotes her words.

According to the Vice Prime Minister, the reason for this situation was the fact that non-state pension funds and management companies failed to effectively manage the resources of future retirees. On March 21 the Federal Statistics Service presented a report on the socio-economic situation in Russia.

According to the document, the real incomes of Russians decreased by 6.9 percent in February 2016, as compared to the same period of last year. Average incomes of citizens made up a little more than 28 thousand roubles, having increased by 0.5 percent, and the average salary - 32.9 thousand roubles (it grew by 5.3 percent in nominal terms and decreased by 2.6 percent in real terms).