• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 08 / 02 / 2010

---

HAVANA — President Raul Castro expanded self-employment fields on Sunday,ahead of looming government plans to slash as many as one million jobs -- 20 percent of Cuba's work force -- from state payrolls.

The economy, 95 percent of which is currently in state hands, does not have the ability to absorb such vast numbers of jobless.

The President's move aims to try to reduce the socioeconomic fallout, but it will be an uphill battle.

The Council of Ministers "agreed to expand the range of self-employment jobs, and their use as another alternative for workers who lose their jobs," Raúl Castro said as he gave a closing address at one of two annual sessions of the National Assembly.

Cuba has no regular access to international funding; Tourism earnings and remittances from emigres are also key pillars of the Cuban economy.

Cubans' hopes had been running high that some change was coming to allow some economic opening on the island nation.

By 2009, there were just 148,000 people out of a work force of five million who were legally self-employed.

Raul Castro, 79, said he would launch new wage and salary practices early next year. He did not give details.

Source: (AFP)