Head of the Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Administration Alexander Levin and First Deputy Head of Government for Economic Policies and Prospective Development, Minister of Economics and Labor Mikhail Maksimov took part in the recession-fighting team meeting under the Plenipotentiary Representation of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative Vladimir Krupkin.

Mikhail Maksimov reported the unemployment rate remained virtually the same last week, with about 87,300 jobless registered in the region by August 26, 2009.

The overall arrears of wages at local enterprises went down by 12%. Four enterprises managed to pay off their 5.7 million RUR worth of wage arrears in full, while six more companies were able to decrease their debts by 15.8 million RUR.

Nevertheless, the region’s two major wage debtors, AMUR car factory (whose wage arrears amount to 49 million RUR) and Egorshinskiy radio plant (whose debt comes to 26 million RUR), do not seem to be doing much to improve the situation, the minister said.