Belarusian Enterprises Laid Off More Workers Than They Hired in May

Belarusian enterprises laid off more workers than they hired in May, as they did in April, according to Belstat data. The report does not include microenterprises or small enterprises without departmental subordination.

A total of 54,900 people were hired in May, while 65,700 were dismissed. The number of dismissals exceeded the number of hires by 10,782.

Compared with May 2025, the number of hires increased by 6.2%, while dismissals rose by 8.8%.

In January–May, Belarusian enterprises hired 258,400 people and dismissed 285,600. The overall balance was negative, with dismissals exceeding hires by 27,300.

In January–May, the number of hires increased by 4.1%, while dismissals rose by 5.7%.

In May, the largest net job losses were recorded in manufacturing (-1,463), wholesale and retail trade (-446), transportation and logistics (-445), education (-5,039), healthcare (-1,746), arts, entertainment and recreation (-539), and the energy sector (-2,894).

Net job gains in May were recorded in agriculture, forestry and fishing (+438), construction (+446), information and communications (+19), and accommodation and food services (+330).

Over the first five months of the year, dismissals exceeded hires in manufacturing (-7,530), healthcare (-4,521), transportation and logistics (-4,389), wholesale and retail trade (-1,286), and education (-8,078).

In January–May, net job gains were recorded in agriculture, forestry and fishing (+105), construction (+2,798), information and communications (+477), and public administration (+24).