30,000 new jobs to open in Azerbaijan

By  Trend

Azerbaijan’s labor market will significantly expand in the coming years, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Azerbaijan Sahil Babayev said, Trend reports.

He was speaking in Baku March 6 at a forum “Economy Diversification - Role of Private Sector.”

He noted that as a result of the reforms carried out in Azerbaijan to combat informal employment, in two months of this year alone, the number of labor contracts increased by 53,000 compared with the same period last year.

“Tax reforms will also have a positive effect on the state of the labor market,” the minister said. “We believe that in the coming years we will be able to significantly expand the labor market and strengthen the mechanism for improving the labor legislation.”

Babayev noted that last year the self-employment program was expanded six times, and this figure will increase.

The program “Friend of the Unemployed” provides for the opening of 30,000 new jobs, and this will also significantly increase the level of employment of citizens, the minister added.

“The developed reform program, which is being successfully implemented in Azerbaijan, yields positive results both in various sectors of the economy and in the social sphere,” he said. “The reform program is aimed, first of all, at stimulating the non-oil sector, increasing the level of employment of the population, and this is ultimately aimed at improving the living standards of the Azerbaijani citizens. Steps aimed at improving the level of employment of the population are of particular importance, and, as a result, the unemployment level is five percent. This is quite a positive result, especially if we take into account a number of factors, including external challenges related to the global environment and other factors.”

Babayev noted that the opportunities of the labor market are expanding every year in Azerbaijan and the number of working-age population is growing due to the opening of hundreds of jobs.

The minister stressed that a concept is being developed, the purpose of which is to strengthen the social sphere, reduce shadow activity, enhance transparency of the labor market and create competitive environment in Azerbaijan.