Minister: Self-employment program to cover around 35,000 people in 2018

By  Trend

The self-employment program will cover about 35,000 people in 2018, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection Salim Muslimov wrote in his article published in "Azerbaijan" newspaper.

The minister recalled that the self-employment program is implemented upon Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s decree "On additional measures of ensuring self-employment of the population" dated April 7, 2016.

As part of these measures, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection provides low-income families with various assets (goods, materials, livestock) to launch small business.

The minister added that 1,232 families have become the beneficiaries of the program this year.

There will be a new source of funding for the self-employment program in 2018 due to the law "On unemployment insurance". As a result, the program coverage will be expanded.

The minister added that the creation of a new financial source will make it possible to increase expenses for financing the employment sphere by 3.2 times.

"Thus, 37.6 percent or 33.5 million manat out of 89 million manat, which is planned to be collected next year in the unemployment insurance fund, will be directed to unemployment insurance payments, 40.2 percent or 35.8 million manat - to expand the self-employment program, that is, in addition, almost 7,000 families will be covered by this program,” he said.

“If we take into account that families participating in the program consist of 4-5 people, we can assume that the living conditions of 5,000-6,000 people have improved this year,” the minister said. “This figure will reach 30,000-35,000 people in 2018.”

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