Spokesperson at the President's Office Mohamed Mabrook Azeez has stated the current government has created over 11,000 jobs. He made the statement in response to opposition political parties that have claimed the previous government created 104,000 jobs within five years.
Speaking to PSM News, Spokesperson Mabrook said the Pension Administration Office has the data on jobs being created by the government and the private sector. The spokesperson cited the official data and said the current government has created 11,160 jobs, despite experiencing the economic recession following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of resorts and other businesses. He also said the workforce between the ages of 18 and 65 consisted of 205,000 individuals in 2014 and 90% of the workforce were employed when President Abdulla Yameen took office.
Additionally, Spokesperson Mabrook said data from the Pension Office shows 22,000 jobs were created during President Yameen's tenure, during which his administration did not experience any economic recession. The spokesperson said the current government has also provided business opportunities and given out loans to 900 businesses from the SME Development Finance Corporation (SDFC). He added the government has also focused on providing more opportunities to the youth in regards to education, jobs, and entrepreneurship. He said the government will continue to provide such opportunities in the future.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has launched the National Skills Development Masterplan, which aims to develop skilled human resources based on national needs for the next five years.