The Socio-Economic Situation

Talking about socio-economic issues, I wanted to give a general image about the situation in Georgia. According to the National Statistics Institute of Georgia the subsistence minimum in 2009 was about 129 GEL per person a month, which is about 75USD, while the Average Monthly Nominal salary is 534GEL (300 USD nowadays). Well I myself don't really think that the average salary makes 534GEL a month, I think it is even less in reality, but I hope I'm wrong. The unemployment rate was 13% and after the World Economic crisis it increased to 16%, which of course remains as one of the biggest problems in the county. You can notice it even walking along Tbilisi streets where you will find lots of beggars; actually they will find you themselves to ask for some coins. They are usually children, older people, disabled people, Gypsies and people in black clothes (widows) that either lost their children who could be able to help them or the children are too young and they have to somehow feed them, so there is no other way for them to make money to live other than begging. However, not all of them are out there because of poverty or inability to work. The reasons for people to beg are different. Some have to beg because of the mentioned above difficult social-economic situation, some lost their children and are not able to work anymore themselves, some are hired workers who are not allowed to manage funds they earn as a result of begging (mostly children coming from villages), some just prefer begging to working, and gypsies who are more like an organized begging institute, who sometimes even rent little babies from their parents and force them to beg.

Having such a difficult unemployment situation as a background, I've noticed another problem among my friends and other young people that they do want to get a good job with a good salary as soon as they are done with their bachelors, but they don't want to give anything out first, just want to get it right there right at the moment. All you hear from some of them is complaining about how all the organizations they have applied to for a job, require experience, and if nobody hires them without experience than how are they going to get any? Well there is still an option, when you see that your time flies and you are still doing nothing, maybe it is worth to start with volunteering and interning?! What they reply to you on this is; I have studied for four years and why should I waste my time working for free (wasting much more time doing nothing)! Yes, this is for free, but this will at least give you a chance to show yourself and gain some experience that will help you in getting a job later! I can speak about my own experience, a lot of young people have interned for Transparency International Georgia (NGO that I work for at the moment), many of us stayed and are now staff members participating in implementation of different projects, others with the help of gained experience including it into their CV could find jobs in other organizations.

We still get more and more applications for internship program from young people, this indicates that the attitude towards volunteering is changing. And I really hope that the socio-economic situation will improve too, as soon as possible!