More than 12,600 job seekers in Cuba were left without placement in 2021

Despite the fact that employment figures in Cuba rose in 2021 compared to the previous year, 12,655 people who visited the offices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) in search of jobs were left unplaced, reported Granma.

Ariel Fonseca Quesada, the general director of Employment at MTSS, specified that by the end of 2021, 236,000 Cubans had been employed, representing an increase compared to 2020, when 147,000 were employed.

"The most significant increase was among those without employment ties, and of these cases, 169,000 entered the job market," the official stated.

The 12,655 applicants who were not placed, according to the official media, enrolled in "training courses to learn trades and began their preparation."

Although the official did not elaborate on the causes, previous reports on the issue indicate that the inflation caused by the Tarea Ordenamiento has impacted the purchasing power of state salaries.

In February 2021, state media reported that out of more than 10,600 people who had gone to the municipal labor offices in Havana in search of employment, only 4,552 were able to access the available job offerings.

Ivett Moya Pupo, director of Labor and Social Security in the capital, pointed out that approximately 7,900 positions remained unfilled, but those seeking to "enter the job market" had "a diverse range of expectations."

"It is true that some do not find what they desire in terms of salary, content, and even proximity to their homes," he acknowledged.

A similar situation is seen in Santi Spíritus. At the beginning of January this year, Yudiana Afonso, coordinator of Programs and Objectives in the provincial government, revealed to the state newspaper Escambray that only 49 percent of the 9,814 job applicants in the area had accepted the offers.

Granma indicates that one of the government's objectives is now to attract a greater workforce towards productive activities, rather than to the budgeted sector.

"Last year, 59 percent of those involved were in the state sector, while the remaining 41 percent were in the non-state sector. Among the workers who entered the state sector, 70 percent did so in the business area, and 30 percent in the budgetary sector," explained Fonseca Quesada.

Additionally, of the 30 percent allocated to the budgeted sector, more than half was directed to the Health sector to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Of those located, only 35 percent are under 35 years old. Nevertheless, the MTSS believes that the figures indicate a growing motivation for employment in the country.

"Now we need to ensure that employment strategies in the municipalities resemble and respond to the actual needs of local development, and that even at the community level, opportunities for work are created," stated Fonseca Quesada.