Receiving salary as a result of the labor activity is always pleasant. It is very pleasant if the amount of the salary is the worthy remuneration of the labor and capable to raise the living standards. However, together with the high labor payment in Azerbaijan, it is possible to face the salaries which are capable only to cover minimal living standards. In addition to the sufficiently high growth rates of the average salaries in the key spheres of the economy over the recent period, the sustainability of the indicators such as differentiation of the salaries between spheres, separate enterprises and categories of the workers is also noted. This case is obviously seen from the analysis of the statistic data regarding salaries in Azerbaijan provided by the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan for the period of January-July 2007.
Thus, according to the official statistics, the average monthly salary in Azerbaijan for January-July amounted to AZN 173, an increase of 27% from the same period of 2006. As usual the highest salaries have been registered in extractive industry, the sphere of financial activity, operations with real estate, service sector, etc.
Over the reported period, the labour capable population of the country equaled 399,600. Of them, 129,580 work as hired employees. Of them, 20.4% work in the field of production, 79.6 in the service sector.
The average numbers of the workers in the industrial sector in January-July 2007 totaled 169,600 people, an increase of 5.5% as compared to the same period of last year. Of them, 168,200 or 99.2% are the citizens of Azerbaijan. Some 62.9% work in the State sector and 37.1% in the private sector. It needs to note that the number of the workers in the private sector increased by 10.7% as compared January-July of 2006 and made up 62.900 people and their salary is 1.7 times more than those in the State sector.
The minimal average salaries of the workers in the industrial sector amounted to AZN 340.2, an increase of 28.1% as compared to January-July 2006. However, the salaries of the Azerbaijani citizens totaled AZN 268.4, which is 36.3% more than the last year indicators, but 21.1% less than the average sectoral figures, and it testifies the existence of the salary differentiation between local and foreign specialists. Of 5.000 foreign citizens involved in the economy, 1.400 work in the industrial sector.
In January-July, 42.600 people or 25.1% of those involved in the industrial sector worked in the oil sector. Their number as compared to the last year increased by 0.3%. The average salary in this sector made up AZN 827.2, an increase of 30.3%. The number of the Azerbaijani citizens involved in the oil sector equaled 41.600 and their salaries totaled AZN 554.8, which is 42.1% more than those in January-July 2006, but 33% less than the average salaries over sectors, and it testifies high salaries of the foreign citizens in the oil sector of Azerbaijan.
Over the reported period, 40.500 people (+3.3%) or ? of all industrial workers were involved in the extractive industry. The salary in this sphere amounts to AZN 839.3, an increase of 27.9% as compared to January-July 2006. Nearly 39.600 Azerbaijani citizens work in this sphere and their salaries total AZN 552.9, an increase of 41.1% from the same period of last year, but decrease of 34.1% from the sectoral indicators, which once again testifies the high salaries of the foreign citizens in the oil fields of Azerbaijan.
In January-July 2007, 51.8% of the industrialists or 87.800 people were involved in the manufacturing industry. The average salary in this sphere totals AZN 173.9, an increase of 25.1% from the indicators of the last year. The highest number of the people involved in the manufacturing industry was registered in the production of foodstuffs, including drinks and tobacco - 1734 people (+8.2%). The average monthly salary in this sphere amounts to AZN 113.6, which is 33.8% more than January-July 2006. The second place for the number of the workers in the manufacturing industry is taken by the sphere of metallurgy - 12.300 people.
The production of the oil products takes the eighth place in the manufacturing industry for the number of its workers. The number of the workers in this sphere in January-July 2007 reached 6.000 people, a decrease of 8.1% from the same period of the last year. The highest salaries are observed exactly in the sphere of production of the oil products - AZN 295.6 (+33,5%), then in metallurgy - AZN 261.3, production of transport means - AZN - 267.2, production of other mineral products - AZN 182.6 and chemical industry - AZN 168.8. The least salaries are observed in the sphere of woodworking and furniture production. The average salary in this sphere amounts to AZN 70.6 and number of workers - 961. However, the salaries in this sphere increased by 58.3%, which is the highest indicator.
In January-July 2007, nearly 41.300 people were involved in the sphere of electricity, gas and water supply and their monthly average salary in this period amounted to AZN 204.3, an increase of 45.6% as compared to the same period of last year.
The average monthly salary of the workers in the construction sphere in January-July 2007 amounted to AZN 350.8, which is 13.5% more than the same period of the last year. The salaries in the large and medium construction companies in Azerbaijan reached AZN 411.6. It needs to note that the average salaries in this sphere increased by 3.16% due to the rapid growth of the construction work. According to the data by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan, currently nearly 150.000 people work in the construction sector and of them, 1300 people are the foreign citizens.
Dynamic of the average monthly salaries of workers of the construction companies
| AZN | As compared to the same period of last year | As compared to the last months | |
| 2006 | |||
| January | 295,9 | 121,9 | - |
| February | 287,6 | 118,2 | 97,2 |
| March | 318,7 | 119,7 | 110,8 |
| 1st quarter | 305,4 | 120,3 | - |
| April | 300,2 | 115,3 | 94,2 |
| May | 307,1 | 120,1 | 102,3 |
| June | 300,6 | 122,7 | 97,9 |
| 1st half year | 299,1 | 119,7 | - |
| July | 302,9 | 115,6 | 100,8 |
| August | 309,2 | 122,3 | 102,1 |
| September | 302,9 | 122,0 | 98,0 |
| January-September | 298,5 | 120,7 | - |
| October | 314,2 | 127,7 | 103,7 |
| November | 307,6 | 121,5 | 97,9 |
| December | 316,8 | 110,8 | 103,0 |
| January-December | 300,4 | 119,1 | - |
| 2007 | |||
| January | 380,6 | 123,3 | - |
| February | 353,1 | 113,8 | 92,8 |
| March | 378,1 | 114,7 | 107,1 |
| 1st quarter | 375,3 | 117,4 | - |
| April | 362,5 | 117,0 | 95,9 |
| May | 361,4 | 115,5 | 99,7 |
| June | 320,7 | 107,6 | 88,7 |
| 1st half year | 352,8 | 114,1 | - |
| July | 325,2 | 107,0 | 101,4 |
Source: State Statistics Committee
The number of the workers in the transport sphere in January-July increased by 1232 people as compared to the same period of the last year and made up 67.000 people. Of them, 84.5% work in the State enterprises and 15.5% in the private sector. Of the transport workers, 64% work in the land transport, 13.7% - marine transport, 5.5% - air transport and 16.8% - auxiliary enterprises and the enterprises which render additional transport services.
The average salaries of the transporters amount to AZN 213.4, an increase of 36.6% from the same period of the last year. This indicator in the air transport made up AZN 511.4, marine - AZN 355, railway - AZN 130.2.
The number of the workers in the communication sphere in the reported period equaled 21.600 people, an increase of 5.7%. The average monthly salary in this sphere increased by 39.4% and amounted to AZN 293.8. The salaries in the private sector are 5.1 more that those in the State enterprises.
In this period, the number of the workers in agricultural enterprises and organizations equaled 35.800 people and their average monthly salary - AZN 83.6. It is clear that the least salaries in the Country are observed in the sphere of agriculture.