President Mohamed Nasheed has announced the government’s decision to release 8500 locals, who have been suitably and rigorously trained for employment, into the labour market. Speaking at the function held today to mark the nation’s Independence Day, the President stated that a national project worth 360 Million Rufiyaa, has been concerted and put in place to achieve this objective.
To facilitate the implementation of this project, the President noted that four main goals have already been set. The first goal is to carry out all the related training programmes. The second is to spread awareness about various employment opportunities and training programmes available. The third is to aid the unemployed in attaining job opportunities, followed by the fourth, which focuses on achieving the level of competency required for the execution of the Law of Employment.
In his speech, the President revealed that despite a population of more than 250,000 people above the legal working age, the nation’s unemployment level has risen to a staggering 27 per cent. He also noted that over the course of the last 10 years, the country has seen a three-fold increase in foreign workers employed, which in turn has exerted great pressure on our resources.