In Karachaevo-Circassia, jobless workers survive due to trade in knitted ware

In Karachaevo-Circassia, over 5000 persons are engaged in knitting garments. At the same time, during the latest five months the number of officially registered unemployed workers in the republic has increased by a third and reached 8000.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that at one of the sittings of the government, Murat Tkhakokhov, Minister of Labour and Social Development of Karachaevo-Circassia, stated that after last November about 2000 new jobless workers got registered.

According to the Minister, the figure has grown so much because plenty of unemployed persons who failed getting registered for many years have now "got out of shadow" and got registered due to increased unemployment allowance.

The first flow of unemployed knitters appeared back during the crisis of 1990s, the second one joined them in 2009. These people survive by making and selling knitted and woollen things in the marketplace in Cherkessk. This place known among people as the knitted-ware or night market is in the "Vodokanal" micro-district.

At night on Saturday, even before dawn, people occupy trading places and start their wholesale trade, often arriving there from the most distant areas of the republic.

"How can we survive otherwise? In our Moskovskiy settlement there's just no other work: only private trading booths and the 'Yuzhny' Hothouse Combine. They pay well at the Combine, but not everyone can work there; one needs good health, and I don't have it," said Elvira, a resident of the settlement.

Let us note here that the employment service of Karachaevo-Circassia predicts the the unemployment growth up to 12,000 persons by the end of this year.