In 2021, the main economic priorities of the Russian government will be maintaining fiscal and debt sustainability, reasonable borrowings in the market, and keeping inflation low.

This was announced on Thursday, January 14, by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in a video greeting to the participants of the Gaidar Forum.

The head of the Cabinet noted that in 2020 the growth rate of consumer prices in Russia exceeded the target level of 4%.

However, by the end of 2021, the indicator will return to its previous boundaries, the prime minister is sure.

According to him, the situation in the country that has arisen in connection with the coronavirus pandemic is "just a deviation, not a departure from the trajectory of sustainable economic growth."

As the head of the Cabinet emphasized, the authorities will pay special attention to the restoration of incomes of Russians and the country's economy as a whole.

In this regard, Russia has an advantage, since it has developed a vaccine against COVID-19 faster than other states, the prime minister added.

“A massive vaccination campaign has begun to provide full protection against the disease, and as general immunity develops, fears that have held back economic development and trade will begin to recede.

Our country was the first to develop a vaccine and began to actively use it.

This allows us to expect that our recovery period will be much faster, ”Mishustin explained.

  • AGN "Moscow"

  • © Sergey Kiselev

Vaccination will allow to quickly increase the rate of production of goods and services, which should have a positive effect on the revival of business activity and the economy itself.

This is how the Prime Minister's statements were commented on by Georgy Ostapkovich, Director of the Center for Market Research at the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge at the Higher School of Economics.

“In the spring of 2020, the virus became the main reason for the lockdown and temporary shutdown of most enterprises and companies.

People were forced to go into self-isolation, and many enterprises were idle, which negatively affected the pace of economic development.

Taking into account prompt vaccination, one can expect that GDP by the end of the year will grow by 2.3-2.5%.

The indicator will be better than that of many countries, "Ostapkovich said in an interview with RT.

Recall that in 2020, to support the economy, the authorities provided business and the population with a number of financial assistance measures.

In particular, we are talking about direct payments to families with children, credit holidays, grants and concessional loans to enterprises to pay salaries to employees, as well as tax deferrals and exemptions for companies and entrepreneurs.

At the same time, in 2021, the government initiated additional support measures.

So, for example, on January 11, the rate on soft loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as for the self-employed, was reduced from 8.5% to 7% per annum.

According to Mishustin, this will allow the business to reduce its debt burden, replenish working capital and direct money to the development of new projects.

“We put a special emphasis on solving social problems, on supporting families with children, people of older generations.

They will remain the focus of government attention this year, ”added the Prime Minister.

Work time

The prime minister noted that the government's strategy is based on national development goals.

To achieve them, a single plan has been prepared, for the implementation of which the authorities intend to spend 39 trillion rubles in the next three years.

“The focus of our strategy, of course, is the person.

All government measures are aimed at improving the quality of life of the citizens of our country, including through the development of health care, support for education, improvement of housing conditions and the quality of the environment, ”Mikhail Mishustin emphasized.

According to him, the growth of wages and the restoration of employment should play the main role in increasing welfare and in the fight against poverty.

In turn, the authorities intend to increase the number of jobs with decent earnings by launching a new investment cycle.

Today in Russia there is a mechanism for concluding investment agreements within the framework of the law on the protection and promotion of investment.

In 2020, 25 such agreements were concluded in the chemical industry, transport, energy and healthcare.

“The volume of investments in projects has exceeded 1 trillion rubles.

For their implementation, more than 20 thousand jobs will be created.

In the future, we plan to expand the use of this mechanism, ”said the Prime Minister.

  • © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Epanchintsev

According to Rosstat, against the background of the introduction of quarantine measures in the spring and the temporary suspension of the work of a number of companies, unemployment in Russia from March to August 2020 increased from 4.7% to 6.4%.

The value was the highest since 2012.

However, by the end of November, the figure dropped to 6.1%.

“Due to tax breaks, soft loans, payments to low-income people and people who have been left without work, the country managed to avoid a sharp reduction in the number of jobs and a significant decrease in the quality of life of Russians.

The new investment cycle will provide jobs for those who need it now, "said Pavel Sigal, first vice president of the all-Russian public organization for small and medium-sized businesses" Support of Russia, "to RT.

The gradual stabilization of the labor market should lead to an increase in consumer activity of Russians and thereby stimulate the consumer demand that has sagged in 2020, Georgy Ostapkovich believes.

According to him, citizens with stable incomes will more actively spend money on everyday needs and entertainment, and will not be afraid to make expensive purchases.

“The growth of vacancies with decent wages will intensify the demand for goods, which will have a positive effect on the pace of production.

Enterprises will begin to produce more, which will require an increase in the workforce.

Thus, the unemployment situation will continue to improve in the future, ”the expert concluded.