Achievements in the field of labour and social protection over the past year, as well as the targets for the current year, were discussed
A regular meeting of the collegium was held at the Ministry.
It is planned that in the current year, expenditures of the State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) will amount to 8.5 billion manats, which is 807 million manats more compared to the previous year. At the same time, expenditures of the state budget on social protection and social security are expected to reach 4 billion 873 million manats, representing an increase of 121.2 million manats compared to last year. These indicators demonstrate that significant growth in funds allocated to the social protection sector will continue in 2026.
This was announced at the collegium meeting held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population. Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population Anar Aliyev emphasized that five social reform packages implemented over the past seven years in line with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev have enabled substantial increases in social payments. It was also noted that last year, within the framework of the next social reform package, further increases were made in salaries, pensions, allowances and scholarships. As a continuation of measures to strengthen the social protection system, it is expected that in the near future pensions covering approximately 1.1 million citizens will be indexed and increased by around 9 percent.
Information was provided on the work carried out last year in the field of social protection in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It was noted that over the past year more than 6.8 thousand people were covered by active employment programmes in the autonomous republic, which is 27 percent more compared to the previous year, including around 950 people involved in the self-employment programme. It was reported that the Nakhchivan Regional DOST Center will be opened in the near future, major renovation works are underway to establish DOST branches in the Sharur, Babek, Julfa, Ordubad, Kangarli and Sadarak districts, and design works are being carried out for the establishment of the Shahbuz DOST branch and the Nakhchivan DOST Inclusive Development and Creativity Center. It was also noted that the Nakhchivan branch of the Occupational Safety Center began operating last year, the “DOST Inspector” and “Rehabus” projects are being implemented in the autonomous republic, and over the past year more than 1,300 people received inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services at rehabilitation centers in Nakhchivan.
The work carried out in the field of state control over compliance with labour legislation and the process of transition to electronic employment contracts were discussed. It was noted that over the past year delays in wage payments totaling 842.3 thousand manats were identified, and as a result of measures taken, these funds were paid to employees by employers. It was also highlighted that 89 employees whose employment contracts had been terminated in violation of legislative requirements were reinstated to their previous jobs.
It was noted that last year nearly 4,000 lonely elderly persons and persons with disabilities received mobile social services at their homes, more than 2.3 thousand people received stationary social services at social service institutions, and 1,620 privileged persons were provided with sanatorium and resort vouchers. It was emphasized that employment promotion programmes, which are an important factor in social welfare, are being expanded year by year. Over the past year, 567 thousand people were covered by active employment measures, including 189 thousand people who were provided with jobs, and small family farms were established for 16.8 thousand people within the framework of the self-employment programme.
It was reported that 887 thousand citizens last year and a total of 4.1 million citizens over the entire period benefited from the services of DOST centers, and efforts to expand the DOST center network across the country are ongoing. Over the past year, disability status was assigned to 54.5 thousand individuals, 142 thousand persons with disabilities were provided with rehabilitation services, and 13.7 thousand people were supplied with 212 thousand rehabilitation aids.
At the meeting, the work carried out over the past year and the goals for the current year in the mentioned areas were discussed.
