Top official attributes real wages drop to inflation

December 25, BPN. Belarusians experienced “a slight decrease” in their incomes, Prime Minister Raman Hałoŭčanka told Belarus 1 on December 24. 

Real wages fell due to inflation, although nominal wages are growing, he said.

The government had to take measures to mitigate inflation and boost some wages in the public sector, the official added. The real sector of Belarus’ economy was not affected by the revenue drop as companies are doing well financially, he noted.

Real disposable income in Belarus (net of taxes, fees and contributions, adjusted for consumer price index for goods and services) have been falling for the seventh month in a row, the National Statistical Committee reported in mid-December. It dropped by 1.2 percent from January to April and by 3.9 percent from January to October.

Real income had been increasing cumulatively at a rate of 0.2 percent to 8.2 percent between July 2017 and March 2022.