Yakutia's SMEs grow in number but shed jobs in early 2026
YAKUTIA.INFO. The number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Yakutia grew by 1,055 in the first quarter of 2026, even as the number of employees in the sector fell by nearly 500. These figures come from Russia's Unified Register of SMEs, maintained by the Federal Tax Service (FTS).
As of January 10, 2026, the register listed 46,201 businesses and individual entrepreneurs, employing a total of 56,802 workers.
By April 10, 2026, the number of SMEs in the region had risen to 47,256—a 2.3% increase over the quarter. Meanwhile, employment dropped to 56,321, a 0.8% decline (481 fewer jobs).
As a result, the average number of employees per business fell from 1.23 to 1.19.
"In other words, half of the newly registered sole proprietors and LLCs are former employees whose employers shifted part of their business to them to reduce revenue and avoid VAT. The other half are relatives, friends, or acquaintances. Almost no real, organic new businesses have emerged—just a handful..." journalist Vitaly Obedin commented on the figures.
"We're seeing a paradox: small business in this Russian region is fading away even as the number of registered entities grows!" Obedin warned.
