State Duma Working Committee member Svetlana Bessarab indicated that raising the minimum wage in 2024 is set to trigger a broader recalibration of salaries across all categories of budget employees. This assessment was reported by URA.RU and reflects a departmental effort to align pay scales with new economic benchmarks while ensuring internal consistency among roles with varying skill levels. In practical terms, the plan implies that compensation for workers with lower skill sets will be reviewed to maintain a coherent hierarchy where less skilled positions do not exceed the earnings of more skilled roles, helping to preserve fair and transparent pay structures within budgetary institutions.
Bessarab also stated plans to increase pensions for retired military personnel by 5.5 percent, bringing the average pension to about 42,000 rubles. The move is presented as part of a broader effort to bolster retirement income for veterans and those who served in the armed forces, acknowledging the long-term financial security interests of this demographic while supporting household budgeting for families that depend on pension incomes.
Earlier, a State Duma deputy Anatoly Aksakov remarked that the uplift in the minimum wage will contribute to reducing income inequality in Russia. The 2024 proposals indicate a notable 18.5 percent increase in the minimum wage, a shift that lawmakers hope will narrow gaps in earnings and stimulate consumer spending while maintaining macroeconomic balance as elections were anticipated in 2024. The dialogue around these adjustments reflects ongoing debates about social policy, wage floors, and the distribution of income within the Russian economy, with policymakers balancing fiscal sustainability and living standards.
Earlier discussions in the State Duma also included a draft law aimed at lifting scholarships to the minimum wage level, signaling a broader strategy to harmonize educational and social stipends with wage floors. This legislative line of thinking underscores a preference for standardized minimums across different forms of compensation, potentially affecting students, trainees, and early-career workers who rely on stipends as a critical part of their financial support while pursuing education and skill development. [source attribution: URA.RU]