Related videos:
Sancti Spíritus reports one of the most alarming unemployment rates in Cuba: around 91,300 working-age individuals are unemployed in the province, out of an economically active population of approximately 203,400 people from Sancti Spíritus, which amounts to nearly 45% unemployment.
The figures, published this Monday by the official newspaper Escambray, reveal a paradox that defines the labor market in the territory: the state sector has vacant positions that no one wants to fill, while the private and cooperative sectors have their positions occupied and rarely report vacancies.
"According to the latest registered statistics, there are currently about 91,300 unemployed people in the province, despite the abundance of positions in state-run centers, due to increased emigration, an aging population, and a preference for jobs in the private sector," the report states.
The unfilled state vacancies mainly correspond to mid-level technicians and higher-level specialists, profiles that workers prefer not to take due to salaries that do not justify the effort.
The purchasing power of the Cuban peso, which "is plummeting every day" according to the official media, is the main factor discouraging formal employment in the state.
Nationally, the average state salary was 6,930 pesos in 2025, equivalent to about 13 dollars at the informal exchange rate, a figure that explains why half of Cubans of working age do not work or seek employment, according to the National Employment Survey published in July 2025.
In Sancti Spíritus, the majority of the 203,400 economically active residents are now engaged in the non-state and cooperative sector, a trend that Escambray itself recognizes as "new in this balance" and which demonstrates the shift of employment towards private initiative.
Unemployment is compounded by the issue of interrupted workers: around 2,700 employees have been temporarily suspended due to the energy crisis, shortages of raw materials, fuel, and transportation.
Most of these workers have opted for telecommuting, although only 530 people across the territory are formally using this mode, as many employers are hesitant to adopt it for fear of losing the knowledge and experience of their workforce.
The regime modified the Labor Code through Decree 149/2026, published in the Official Gazette on May 28, which governs interruptions: it guarantees 100% of the salary for the first month and 60% starting from the second month.
In an effort to reduce unemployment, two job fairs were held in the province in 2026, successfully placing 2,700 workers and offering training courses for disengaged youth, including lineworker training by the Electric Company and police training by the Ministry of Interior.
The unemployment in Cuba also has a critical demographic dimension in Sancti Spíritus: the province recorded a population loss of 8,689 inhabitants in 2024, a combination of low birth rates, accelerated aging, and massive emigration.
A reader from Escambray harshly summed up the situation in the comments: "What economy can progress or even awaken with nearly half of its workforce not working, not contributing? In Cuba, they don’t work because with a salary of 10 dollars a month or less, it doesn’t even cover the cost of eggs."
The official report concludes that "many complex issues characterize the trends in the labor market in Sancti Spíritus," but it avoids pointing out the structural cause: 67 years of communist dictatorship that have destroyed work incentives, driven the population away, and left a state economy unable to compete with the private sector for available labor.
Filed under: