In 1994, according to the IMF, 1,488,000 Armenians were employed and 106,000 were unemployed, resulting in an actual labor force of 1,594,000 people. The figures for 1998 give a different picture, with the number of total employed persons decreasing to 1,351,000,
| Household Consumption in PPP Terms | |||||||
| Country | All Food | Clothing and footwear | Fuel and powera | Health careb | Educationb | Transport & Communications | Other |
| Armenia | 52 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 5 |
| United States | 13 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 51 |
| Turkey | 45 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| Georgia | 33 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 36 |
| Data represent percentage of consumption in PPP terms. | |||||||
| aExcludes energy used for transport. | |||||||
| bIncludes government and private expenditures. | |||||||
| SOURCE: World Bank. World Development Indicators 2000. | |||||||
and a total of 139,000 unemployed, resulting in an actual labor force of 1,492,000 people. Although official figures state that the unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in 1998, unofficial estimates place the rate as high as 20 percent. In the state sector, 794,000 people had jobs in 1994, and in the private sector 694,000 people were employed. By 1998, 441,000 people were employed in the state sector, and 912,000 in the private sector, reflecting a major decrease in government payrolls.
According to the constitution, employees have the right to join and form trade unions and to form associations, although members of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies are forbidden to do so.
The minimum monthly wage in 1994 was AMD1, 851, although by the second quarter of 1999 it had risen to AMD 5,000. Forced and bonded labor is forbidden in Armenia, and for children the minimum working age is 16 years, although with the permission of a medical commission and the relevant union board, children may work from the age of 14. The standard legal work week is 41 hours, and with such a low minimum wage, most people have to take multiple jobs to support themselves and their families.