By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

The large-scale support package implemented in Azerbaijan has supported 48 percent of the country's population or 4.8 million people, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The remarks were made by the Labour and Social Security Deputy Minister Anar Aliyev during the meeting with the mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He noted that overall, an additional AZN 6 billion ($3.5bn) was allocated annually for the three packages of social reforms implemented in the country over the past four years.

Stressing that the ongoing social reforms in the country will continue in 2022, the deputy minister recalled that since the beginning of this year, there has been an increase in wages, pensions, and other social payments.

Aliyev also highlighted the reforms carried out in the field of labour, employment, social protection, expansion of active employment programs, including self-employment programs and support for the unemployed in a small business establishment.

"Compared to 2018, the minimum wage in the country has increased by 2.3 times, the average monthly wage by 35 percent and the median wage by 74 percent," he said.

He added that over the past four years the number of employment contracts has increased by 30 percent.

The participants of the meeting exchanged views on the labour market, employment reforms, and measures taken to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Azerbaijan joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on September 18, 1992. Since Azerbaijan's induction into the organization, the IMF has implemented several programs in Azerbaijan that foster economic growth.