ECONOMIC CRISIS: WHAT'S WORSE, GLOBAL DOWNTURN OR OFFICIAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VLADIVOSTOK 000034 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV SUBJECT: ECONOMIC CRISIS: WHAT'S WORSE, GLOBAL DOWNTURN OR OFFICIAL DECREES? VLADIVOSTO 00000034 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Though Primorye's government has reported 6 percent growth in gross regional product (GRP) in 2008, the economic situation in the past few months is showing signs of trouble. Evaluating the situation is complicated by the fact that most official economic data is not publicly available, and meetings of regional anti-crisis committees are held behind closed doors. Authorities have suggested various ways to deal with the economic crisis, some are practical, while others, like establishing car assembly plants, aluminum production facilities, and other large-scale projects are more long-term plans that would have little ameliorative effect on the immediate crisis. The upcoming 2012 APEC summit may provide a limited boost to the suffering construction sector. Decrease in Global Demand the Main Factor -------------- ¶2. The first sector to feel the economic crisis in Primorye was the mining and extracting industry in late 2008, which suffered from falling world prices for lead, zinc, and tungsten. Facilities in Dalnegorsk, Krasnoarneyskiy and Khorolskiy rayons north of Vladivostok have suspended production, with employees being laid off or put on unpaid leave. By January 2009, the timber sector also felt the pinch of lower overall demand for wood products and recently increased export tariffs on raw wood products designed to help the domestic processing industry. ¶3. The slowdown in production has resulted in a significant decrease of cargo turnover at all Primorye ports. The Commercial Port of Vladivostok reported a 35 percent decline in freight so far this year compared to the same period last year. Port Vostochny also saw a decrease total turnover of 8 percent, with container traffic down by 52 percent. The Commercial Port of Nakhodka experienced a total turnover decrease of 9.5 per cent, with container traffic down 97 percent. Over 100 vessels are currently moored and sitting idle in Vladivostok. And Unemployment is on the Rise -------------- ¶4. Official statistics state that there were 32,000 unemployed people in Primorye in January 2009, though the International Labor Organization (ILO) placed its estimate at over 90,000. The significantly higher ILO calculation includes workers who are underemployed, facing leave without pay, forced to take leave, part-time workers looking for full-time employment, and workers who have experienced significant wage cuts. Over 150 companies so far this year have informed Vladivostok city authorities of plans to lay off workers. According to ILO, the number of unemployed in Primorye has increased by about 1,000 people every month since fall of last year, and Consulate contacts forecast that over 1,700 employees will be laid off at wholesale and retail companies in the coming months. The Rossisskaya Gazeta reports that the accumulated salary backlog at 22 local companies amounted to over 83 million rubles in 2008 and local experts expect wage arrears to increase through the year. ¶5. Several local municipalities have announced that they are setting up special committees to supplement established regional employment agencies to help jobless people find work. The committees envisage organizing public work, offering retraining, and providing support for those relocating to other regions. The cost of 100 million rubles (USD 3 million) will come from the federal and regional budgets. Official Decrees Hinder Instead of Help -------------- ¶6. In addition to the general economic downturn, local businesses have suffered as a result of changes in regulations. The timber industry has taken a hit from the abovementioned export tariff increase. Businesses involved in importing and servicing used automobiles have collapsed due to the new tax law that came into effect on January 12 which raised import fees. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people stand to lose jobs as car dealers, drivers, mechanics, and various service providers. Russia, by far, had been the world's largest customer for used Japanese vehicles. In January 2008, Russia imported 28,300 vehicles from Japan, but since the increased import fee went into effect, that number has decreased to 2,400 per month. ¶7. An order issued by the Federal Customs Service in January now prohibits the ports of Primorye from exporting scrap metal to the Asia-Pacific region, ruling that the only Russian Far East port authorized to do so is Kamchatka's Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. The move has affected business at the port of Vladivostok, which has been the region's main transfer point for ferrous scrap metal for over a decade. VLADIVOSTO 00000034 002.2 OF 002 ¶8. Additionally, the Customs Service has begun to crack down on `pomogaikas' who receive subsidized trips to China from Russia-based retailers in return for carrying goods back for resale. Customs asserted that these compensated traders violated rules that allow travelers to import goods duty-free for personal use, not for resale. Though the practice does appear to be a way of skirting the regulations, being a pomogaika is often the only source of income for unemployed or low-income residents from Primorye's rural region. Government Revenue Suffering, Too -------------- ¶9. The same fee increase that has hurt Primorye auto importers may also affect government revenues. In 2008, the Vladivostok customs office transferred 62 billion rubles to the federal budget, and forty-five per cent of all customs collections were fees for foreign cars. Deputy Head of the Vladivostok Customs Office Leonid Gurin expects a significant decline in customs fees this year and has reported he anticipates a 40 percent decline in revenue for the first quarter of 2009 compared to the previous quarter. An APEC Boost? -------------- ¶10. Primorye officials are hoping that infrastructure projects in preparation for the 2012 APEC Summit to be held in Vladivostok will provide a boost in employment opportunities for locals. They expect APEC-related construction will create 55,000 new jobs over the next several years if plans are fully realized. However, local analysts point out that not all of those jobs are likely to go to unemployed Primoryans. With a shortage of skilled laborers in the region, many vacancies may be filled with workers from other parts of Russia or with Chinese, Vietnamese, or North Korean gastarbeiters. Two thirds of the workers currently constructing one bridge in Vladivostok are Chinese, and only half of the 400 workers on a separate bridge project were hired locally. Comment -------------- ¶11. The economic crisis is beginning to hit the Russian Far East. Authorities are watching the politically-active Primorye region -- site of several recent protests -- for signs of further crisis-related discontent, and law enforcement agencies in the region have been conducting special training to prevent further public unrest. For Vladivostok, at least, plans for APEC Summit-related construction projects offer some hope of adding stimulus to the slowly declining economy. ARMBRUSTER