WAGES IN THE SOVIET UNION: A COMMENT ON RECENTLY PUBLISHED STATISTICS
| Published date | 01 March 1966 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1966.tb00928.x |
| Author | A. Nove |
| Date | 01 March 1966 |
WAGES IN THE SOVIET UNION: A COMMENT ON
RECENTLY PUBLISHED STATISTICS
A. NOVE*
FOR
the first time since the war the Soviet authorities have published some
wages statistics. To begin with, it is of interest to ask why there was such
a prolonged statistical silence. Some foreign critics took the view that this
was because the wage level was
so
low that it had to be concealed.
As
will
be shown later, this theory led some writers into
a
grave underestimation
of the actual level of Soviet wages. The most probable explanation was not
so
much a desire to conceal average rates of pay, but rather an embarrass-
ment concerning inter-sector and inter-occupational wage differentials.
These had greatly changed since before the war, and some of the lowest-paid
categories would have had very genuine grounds for loud complaint if
it
had been publicly announced how far behind they had fallen. It may
therefore not be coincidental that publication of the figures occurred soon
after a decree had provided for a sharp increase, in the course of
1965,
for
these categories of persons.
Before analysing the figures, it is necessary to define what they mean.
The figures cited refer only to persons employed by State enterprises and
institutions. They exclude collectivized peasants, self-employed persons
(writers, craftsmen) and earnings by private practice of persons in state
employment. With two exceptions, the average pay quoted relates
to
all
persons of all grades employed in the given sector. Thus, for example, under
Education one has everybody from headmasters to janitors. Under
Health we find chief medical officers and cleaners. The overall average
includes ministers and managers as well as labourers on a state farm. Only
in two instances, in Industry (manufacturing and extractive) and in
Building, is the category ‘workers’ separately distinguished and in these
instances the ‘non-workers’ are a mixed bunch of managers, engineer-
technicians, bookkeepers, clerks and totally unskilled auxiliaries.
All
figures
are given in new roubles per annum. This is the ‘heavy’ rouble introduced
in
1961.
It means that wages in any previous year are reduced in the ratio
of
10:
I,
and thus, for example, a payment of
93.36
roubles in the currency
of
1958
will appear in the table as
9336
roubles.
Soviet wages statistics published before the war were much more
detailed than this. However we must be grateful for the appearance of any
figures at all. No doubt more will appear in due course.
*
Professor of
International Economic Studies, University
of
Glasgow
1
The author acknowledges the valuable help given by
Mr
R.
Clarke,
of
the Institute
of
Soviet
and East European Studies, University
of
Glasgow.
212
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