Bonus payments for the wealthiest Muscovites, which are due in December, will restore the social disparity level by the end of the year, experts say.
Photo: Sergey Mikheev
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Social Disparities in Moscow to Intensify by New Year
An average personal income in Moscow came to 29,236 rubles, or $1,140, in the first half of 2006, the city’s statistics agency said Wednesday. Earnings of Muscovites have fallen against those last year. A personal income averaged 30,486 rubles in 2006, compared to 24,840 rubles in 2005. On another note, the income gap between the city’s richest and poorest10 percent has narrowed. The difference in earnings was 41-fold in 2006, but recent statistics show that it fell to 34 times by July.
The Moscow Statistics Agency has never published half-year results on personal incomes. Therefore, conclusions about the narrowing gap between the richest and poorest Muscovites may be too early.
Bonus payments for the wealthiest Muscovites, which are due in December, will restore the social disparity level by the end of the year. Year-end bonuses are the most significant remunerations apart from monthly salaries. The share of year-end bonuses is growing, according to Ernst & Young. Year-end bonuses amounted to 20 percent of the annual income in 2005 but in 2006 they were as much as 32 percent.
Quite possibly, the income gap between earnings of Moscow’s richest and poorest 10 percent will widen to beat last year’s 41.4-fold difference. Personal incomes are also likely to pick up their growth.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 16, 2007
|
|
|
