Benefits in Armenia will be left unchanged in 2013. The budget envisages no indexing of benefits for 2013, Artem Asatryan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, told media, Thursday.
"I don't think that increase in benefits would settle social problems in the country. In addition, we have no law on indexing benefits," the minister said. Asked why the number of the citizens receiving benefits does not decrease despite the 7% economic growth for 2012, the minister said that the government policy is aimed implementation of 'employment programs.'
The Government of Armenia adopted a decision on Thursday to allocate benefits to 104,685 families from the state budget of 2013 in the amount of a total of 37.1 bln drams.
By data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia, there were 73.9 thousand unemployed in the country in early 2012 and 63.1 thousand unemployed in late 2012.