People's
Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) No. 08
February 23, 2003
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVII No. 08 February 23, 2003 |
Cuba:
Unemployment
Down
To
3.3%
ALFREDO
Morales
Cartaya,
minister
of
labor
and
social
security,
has
informed
the
National
Assembly
that
by
the
end
of
this
year
Cuba’s
unemployment
rate
will
stand
at
3.3
per
cent,
one
of
the
lowest
in
the
world,
adding
that
it
is
a
notable
reduction
of
unemployment
on
the
island.
Morales
told
legislators
that
from
1995
(when
the
economy
began
its
recovery)
to
date,
712,000
jobs
have
been
created
in
Cuba,
almost
half
of
them
in
agriculture,
education,
public
health,
the
sugar
agribusiness
industry,
communal
services
and
gastronomy.
From
January
to
November
2002,
he
noted,
some
14,000
new
jobs
have
been
created.
Among
the
new
jobs,
45
per
cent
have
gone
to
women
and
66
per
cent
to
young
people.
The
minister
also
highlighted
the
influence
of
the
Revolution’s
current
social
programs.
Some
31,352
jobs
have
been
created
in
the
last
two
years,
including
7,900
in
the
social
services,
6,325
in
elementary
schools,
741
in
nursing
—
including
young
people
graduating
from
the
special
courses
—
89
in
high
school
teaching,
12,390
in
informatics
and
1,230-plus
as
video
and
television
room
operators.
Morales
also
noted
that
in
parallel
with
the
country’s
economic
recovery,
there
has
also
been
an
increase
in
the
number
of
workers
to
have
received
pay
rises
within
a
system
based
on
productive
results
and
the
national
business
improvement
program,
as
well
as
an
increase
in
social
security
and
assistance
benefits,
to
which
11
per
cent
of
the
GDP
is
allocated.
