Originally Posted by
Mike5200
Unemployment at 50%, says minister
By Ikhlas Majeed
Azzaman, December 14, 2006
Nearly half of Iraqis able to work are idle, said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.
Mohamed Radhi said the high jobless rate was devastating to a country torn by sectarian strife and violence.
He said combating unemployment was as important as the fight against ‘terror’. Joblessness plays into the hands of ‘terrorists’, he said.
He said he had drawn a plan to provide short-term loans to families willing to start up their own businesses particularly those who depend on social benefits for a living.
“This project will contribute to defeating terror and terrorists who target sources of energy and labor. As a result unemployment has reached more than 50 per cent in some provinces,” he said.
He said he had 100,000 small-sized projects in mind and has urged the government set aside enough allocations to have the scheme in place in 2007.
Each family will be given a loan of 10,000 dinars (approx. $6,600) to start the project, he said.