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Unproductive Jobs Must Be Axed, Labor Minister Says

The Russian labor market must rid itself of inefficient jobs that contribute little to economic growth, Labor and Social Development Minister Maxim Topilin said Thursday.

"We will eliminate substandard positions, jobs with low labor productivity," the minister said in a speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Interfax reported.

Labor productivity in Russia must increase by half in the near future, Topilin said. Two years ago, President Vladimir Putin set the government the task of raising workforce productivity 50 percent across the Russian economy by 2018.

Workplace productivity grew 3.1 percent in 2012, 1.6 percent in 2013 and is expected to increase no more than 1.1 percent in 2014, according to the Economic Development Ministry's forecasts, Vedomosti reported. However by 2018, the ministry predicts productivity will increase by a total of 12.6 percent compared to 2012.

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