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<\/a><\/p>\n19 December 2011<\/p>\n
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In a bid to contain the rising unemployment, government is finalizing plans to create at least 214,000 jobs every year, the Minister of Public Service and Labour, Anastase Murekezi, has said.<\/p>\n
The unemployment rate stands at 8 percent, according to 2006 government figures. New statistics are expected next year.<\/p>\n
Murekezi said last week that, currently, 140,000 new jobs are created every year.<\/p>\n
“Our plan is to create at least 1.5 million jobs is a space of seven years, from 2010 to 2017; this is possible if we empower the private sector, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs),” said Murekezi.<\/p>\n
He made the remarks at the end of the 9th National Dialogue, where he noted that, currently 97 percent of the active population in Rwanda (3.7 million) is employed in the private sector, while those in the public sector are 3 percent (130,000).<\/p>\n
According to the ministry, there are 90,000 SMEs and more than 10,000 hawkers in the country.<\/p>\n
The government intends to start with vendors in a pilot phase by giving them support so that they can carry out their business in a more organized manner, thus enabling them to create jobs for others.<\/p>\n
“The unemployment figures we have date back to 2006, but latest figures will be out next year. The 8 percent unemployed people are those that spend about one month without a job while those that spend over a year hunting for a job are 1.5 percent,” said Minister Murekezi.<\/p>\n
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