DUSHANBE , February 16, Asia-Plus - The number of unemployed in Tajikistan officially registered with the employment service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security as of January 1 2006 has been 43,600 people. The level of unemployment (the ratio between those officially deemed to be unemployed and the economically active population) was 2.1 per cent.   

According to figures submitted by the State Committee for Statistics, a major part of the officially registered unemployed as of January 1 2006 have been persons, who do not have professional grounding.  They make 81 percent (35,400 people) of a total number of the officially registered unemployed in the republic.  Besides, some 56.3 percent of the unemployed have complete or incomplete secondary education (24.6 percent).  All this makes their employment difficult, according to local experts.      

In this connection, the country’s employment services render to the unemployment different services on vocational orientation and last year, such services were rendered to 9,600 people from a total number of the unemployed.

During 2005, number of economically active population amounted to 2,048,400 people (in 2004, their number was 2,088,000).  Of them, 2,004,800 people are employed in the sectors of the economy.  The majority of Tajikistan ’s people are employed in the areas of agriculture, industry, education, healthcare and trade.  

According to the source, the number of job-seeking officially registered with the country’s employment service as of January 1 2006 has been 72,400 people, which 10.7 percent fewer compared to 2004.

“In December alone, 5,100 people applied to the employment service for jobs, which is 6.2 percent fewer compared to the same period of 2004,” the source in the State Committee for Statistics said, noting that more than a half of them were placed in jobs.        

The majority of those seeking jobs are youth aged 15 to 29 (58,300 people). 

According to official statistics, compared to 2004 the number of vacancies submitted to the employment service reduced by 29.9 percent and amounted to 15,700.