KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev lamented Russia's jobless rate Saturday and urged political parties to help fight unemployment. While Russia is emerging from a slump ushered in by the global financial crisis, “the unemployment rate in our country is quite high,” Medvedev told leaders of the ruling United Russia and the other three parties in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, for which elections will be held in December. Unemployment in the nation of 142 million hit an eight-month high of 5.71 million people in January, taking the jobless rate to 7.6 percent from 7.2 percent the previous month. “Protecting our citizens' labor rights is one of the most important tasks of the political parties in this country,” Medvedev said at the meeting in Krasnaya Polyana, a Caucasus mountain resort which will host events at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Medvedev mentioned few specific plans, but called for legislation that would make it easier and more lucrative for Russians to seek jobs in different part of the vast country. A labor exodus from provinces to big cities has been a trend since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the relaxation of residence restrictions, but bureaucratic hurdles and high expenses such as rent still limit mobility. Medvedev also suggested parties should use their connections with employers and labour unions to help fight unemployment. Senior United Russia official Boris Gryzlov, the Duma speaker, told journalists after the meeting that he had proposed developing small businesses, rebuilding rural infrastructure to create jobs, and building housing where migrant workers could rent cheaper flats. Medvedev had voiced support for these ideas. Chaired by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, United Russia does the government's bidding as the dominant force in the Duma and legislatures nationwide.
