Unemployment the major problem in Georgia
By Messenger Staff
Monday, May 10
In April 2010 the National Democratic Institute (NDI) carried out a poll in which it interviewed more than 2,000 people countrywide. The results showed that the most acute problem the Georgian population faces is unemployment, as more than 70% of those asked said they were unemployed.
59% highlighted that unemployment is the most serious problem for them, whether they were unemployed themselves or not, and 55% said that politicians did not pay enough attention to that problem. Compared to the previous year's result more people think that unemployment is the most acute problem and 39% say that the employment situation has deteriorated.
Official statistics show that in the fourth quarter of 2009 unemployment increased and 16.3% of the population capable of work is affected by it. Officially there are more than 300,000 unemployed and around 2 million work capable people in Georgia, but these figures are challenged as out of the 1.7 million officially employed 63% are self employed. This means that they own land or cattle which could potentially become a source of income, but in reality farmers are unable to cultivate their land because they lack the resources to purchase the appropriate machinery, fertilizers, irrigation, seeds, fuel and so on.
59% highlighted that unemployment is the most serious problem for them, whether they were unemployed themselves or not, and 55% said that politicians did not pay enough attention to that problem. Compared to the previous year's result more people think that unemployment is the most acute problem and 39% say that the employment situation has deteriorated.
Official statistics show that in the fourth quarter of 2009 unemployment increased and 16.3% of the population capable of work is affected by it. Officially there are more than 300,000 unemployed and around 2 million work capable people in Georgia, but these figures are challenged as out of the 1.7 million officially employed 63% are self employed. This means that they own land or cattle which could potentially become a source of income, but in reality farmers are unable to cultivate their land because they lack the resources to purchase the appropriate machinery, fertilizers, irrigation, seeds, fuel and so on.