The number of unemployed citizens registered at the employment service bodies of Russia increased over seven days by 0.7 percent and amounted to 2.56 million people, the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development reported on Monday.

The ministry received information about dismissals at more than 67,000 organizations from all constituencies of Russia.

“Over the last week, the growth of the number of unemployed citizens registered at the employment service bodies was observed in Russia’s 67 constituencies, including the Astrakhan, Sakhalin, Amur and Murmansk Regions, the Republic of Karelia and the Altai Territory. The number of unemployed citizens didn’t change in the Tver and Kaliningrad Regions, and St. Petersburg in comparison with the last week.

At the same time, the number of unemployed citizens continued to reduce in Russia’s 13 constituencies, including in the Republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygeya and Buryatia,” the ministry reports.

According to the ministry’s data, as of the beginning of October 2008, the total number of dismissed workers has reached 839,611 people, out of them more than 231,000 were placed in jobs, including 132,000 at former organizations.

The total number of workers who were idled through the fault of administration and who worked shout hours, as well as workers who were given leaves on the initiative of administration amounted to 1,620,278 people.

Itar-Tass