Armenians voice frustration over job market on Labor Day

On International Workers’ Day, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hailed the creation of roughly 280,000 jobs in Armenia since 2018. Yet in the capital, many residents voiced frustration, saying employment remains elusive and often contingent on personal connections rather than merit.

“Even for a guard’s position you need a contact. Where are the factories they claim to have opened?” one resident told Panorama.am, adding that retirees are particularly disadvantaged. “That extra 10,000 drams in pensions changes nothing. Workers cannot live well.”

Others pointed to discriminatory hiring practices, with one man noting his wife was repeatedly rejected because employers insisted on hiring “18-year-old girls”. Several residents observed that shops frequently advertise vacancies for sales staff, but long hours and low pay deter applicants.

Some argued that the presence of foreign workers itself reflects the availability of jobs, albeit ones Armenians are unwilling or unable to take. “If there were no jobs in Armenia, Indians wouldn’t come here to work,” one resident remarked.