More permanent employment positions could soon become available in Russia, as the country's government has pledged to address the issue of unemployment.

President Dmitry Medvedev has instructed his party to devise measures with which to curb the problem, Rianovisti reports.

Official figures have shown joblessness in Russia dipped last year to 7.5 per cent, down from the 8.4 per cent recorded the year before.

It meant the number of people out of work dropped from 6.4 million to 5.6 million - but 5.7 million were registered as unemployed by January 2011.

Mr Medvedev's proposals for combating the problem include improving training when operating modern production facilities and assisting those out of work in setting up their own businesses.

The Montreal Gazette recently reported that many Russian graduates have taken the opportunity to go and work for mining company Norilsk Nickel - despite the fact the location of its mines regularly experiences temperatures of -40 C.

Posted by Kate Griffin