Key changes in the economic and social situation of Mongolia observed in the past month include a 4.1 percent rise in the average monthly wage, a slight increase in unemployment, and higher crime rate.
Female unemployment remains high
By the end of May 2018, labor and social welfare services agencies registered 35,600 job seekers, of which 24,000 (67.5 percent) were unemployed while 11,600 (32.5 percent) were employed but looking for a new job.
Registered unemployment went down by 4,500 people, or 15.7 percent, compared to May 2017 but jumped by 600 people, or 2.6 percent, over the past month. A breakdown by gender shows that 53.1 percent of the unemployed are women.
Breakdown of causes of unemployment as of May 2018
In terms of unemployment by region, 8,300 people, or 34.4 percent of total registered unemployed, are living in Ulaanbaatar, 4,900, or 20.2 percent, in the central region, 4,200, or 17.7 percent, in the western region, 4,100, or 17.1 percent, in Khangai region, and 2,500 people, or 10.6 percent, are living in the eastern region. Out of the total registered unemployed in Mongolia, there are 513 people living with disabilities. Among them, 47.2 percent are women, according to the Labor Survey.
NSO wrote that in the first five months of 2018, labor and social welfare services agencies registered 34,700 new people without a job and found jobs for 7,200 people. Due to inactive job seeking, 28,900 people were removed from the Unemployment Register. Compared to the same period of last year, 1,900 more people were registered, going up by 5.8 percent, while 1,400 (25 percent) more people were hired. Around 12 percent fewer people were also removed from the Unemployment Register this year.
The Labor Survey identified that the most common reason causing unemployment is dismissal from job, taking 48.7 percent, followed by inability to find a job after graduating university, which took up 29.9 percent.
Average family earns below 1 million MNT per month
In the first quarter of 2018, the monthly average wage per employees was at 998,400 MNT, rising by 39,200 MNT, or 4.1 percent, compared to the same period last year. However, this is a 3.9 percent, specifically 40,500 MNT, decline compared to the fourth quarter of 2017.
Compared to May 2017, the monthly average wage increased by 39,200 MNT (4.1 percent) in attribution to an increase of 116,400 MNT (12.8 percent) in the average wages of the construction sector, 108,200 MNT (12.1 percent) increase in the real estate sector, 78,400 MNT (8.9 percent) increase in information and communication sector, 141,100 MNT (8.7 percent) in extraterritorial organizations and bodies sector, and an increase of 55,100 MNT (8.6 percent) in wages of the private sector.
The Household Socio-Economic Survey showed that as of May, 7.2 percent of all families in Mongolia have a monthly income below 240,000 MNT, 21.7 percent with an income ranging between 240,001 MNT and 500,000 MNT, 37.8 percent of families earn 500,001 MNT to 900,000 MNT, 16 percent earn around 900,001 MNT to 1.3 million MNT, 3.8 percent have an income ranging between 1.3 million MNT and 1.5 million MNT, and 13.5 percent have an income higher than 1.5 million MNT.
Breakdown of monthly wage by amount
In terms of region, the monthly household income averaged 860,100 MNT in Khangai region, 856,400 MNT in central region, 716,300 in eastern region, 646,900 MNT in western region where the rates were 138,300 MNT to 351,500 MNT lower than the national average. Families in Ulaanbaatar, on the other hand, earned an average of 1.1 million MNT, which is 118,300 MNThigher than the national average.
Based onthe divisions of economic activities, the monthly average wages of employees working in mining and quarrying sectors was the highest at 2.4 million MNT, while wages of employees in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector were lowest at 609,100 MNT.
Crimes increase
Over the past five months, 17,980 crimes were reported, going up by 63.1 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
This increase was due to 2.1 times higher rate of theft, 2.6 times more fraud, 31.4 times higher crimes against human health immunity, 4.3 times more robbery, 2.6 times more embezzlement of property, and 29.5 percent higher rate in crimes against human fundamental right.
NSO stated that 4,322 crimes were reported in May, increasing by 2,055 cases (90.6 percent) compared to the same period of the previous year and by 68 cases (1.6 percent) since April.
The recorded crimes amounted to damages worth 83.5 billion MNT, which is 45.8 billion MNT (35.4 percent) lower than that of last year. Meanwhile, the amount of restituted damages reached 12.7 billion MNT, showing a decrease of 26.2 billion MNT (67.3 percent) compared to last year.
As of May, 410 people died and 3,839 people were injured. Out of a total of 15,600 victims reported since January, 833, or 5.3 percent, were children aged below 18 and 6,930, or 44.4 percent, were women.
