Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09VLADIVOSTOK34
2009-03-12 05:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Vladivostok
Cable title:  

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

Tags:  ECON PGOV 
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VZCZCXRO7116
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHCHI RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFK RUEHFL RUEHHM
RUEHIK RUEHKSO RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNAG RUEHNP RUEHPB
RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHYG
DE RUEHVK #0034/01 0710554
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120554Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1102
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION COLLECTIVE
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1204
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


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