After the Karabagh war, many factories and businesses went bankrupt and everything got ruined. Thus, the citizens of Karabagh thought about one thing: what to do with their lives. Some preferred leaving for abroad, others decided to stay in Karabagh, while others simply waited for a “brighter future”.
Today, citizens of Karabagh do different things to fill their day. According to the national statistics service of Karabagh, there were 37,776 businessmen in 2005 and this number has gone up by 10% compared to 2004. Other fields which have progressed include trade (37.1%), agriculture (12.5%), government and defense (7.2%), construction (13.6%), education (1.5%), communications (10.4%), NGOs (14.4%), physical education and sports (5.2%).
Based on statistics, there are less hired workers in the social security, forest economy and science sectors. As of January 1, 2006, there were 4398 unemployed citizens registered at the Ministry of Social Security’s Employment division of which 79.9% have an unemployed status. There are 2713 people in search of jobs in Stepanakert, of which 99.9% are unemployed. As of January 1, 2005, the number of people searching for jobs went up by 4.1%, while the number of unemployed went up by 7.2%.
In 2005, the average nominal salary of businessmen was 120 dollars and compared to 2004, that number had gone up 24.2%. Resident of Stepanakert Aram Barseghyan said during an interview that Karabagh is not what it used to be years ago.
“There is progress in all fields. The reason for the high number in unemployment is that many people have received a higher education and can’t find jobs after graduation. Perhaps they don’t choose the right profession. For example, I am a locksmith and I have made a living for the past 20 years just being a locksmith. I am teaching that art to my son because, to tell you the truth, he is not too smart and it would be a waste of time to send him to school. So, it’s better that he learn this profession so he can at least take care of himself when he grows up,” said the 43-year old locksmith.