adminof collapse, some non-governmental organisations claim that unemployment stands at 85 percent and is one of the challenges the country is facing.
While admitting that all was not rosy in the economy, Minister Biti said claims that unemployment in Zimbabwe was that high, were only made by “textbook economists”.
“We have always had this argument about what is the percentage of people that are employed or unemployed in Zimbabwe. Textbook economists will say 85 percent but that is not true. If we had a population like that most people in Zimbabwe would have died, it is not possible,” he said.
Minister Biti was speaking at the launch of the Poverty Income Consumption and Expenditure Survey 2011/12 Report by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency last week. He said most people in the country were economically active and only 9 percent, according to the findings, were not active.
“One is either a farmer, selling juice cards, driving an emergency taxi or you are working as a hairdresser. The fact of the matter is most people are economically active,” he said.
He said according to the survey, at least 22 percent of the population was employed in the formal sector while 57 percent worked in the agriculture and small to medium enterprises sectors.
The survey revealed that at least 3,7 million Zimbabweans – 54,6 percent of them women – are involved in informal sector activities.
At least US$1,7 billion, about 19,5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product was generated in the informal sector during the period, according to the survey. – New Ziana.
Online Reporter