Job losses in Afghanistan projected to reach 7-9 lakh

The US government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said that job losses in the war-torn nation since the August 2021 Taliban takeover is projected to reach between 700,000-900,000 by mid-2022.

Citing a recent Gallup survey, SIGAR said: "A record-high 89 per cent of Afghans surveyed said their local economies were getting worse, 75 per cent reported not having enough money for food in the previous 12 months, and 58 per cent reported they did not have enough money for adequate shelter," TOLO News reported.

It also said that Afghan women were particularly impacted, with female employment levels projected to decrease by 21 per cent by mid-2022, compared to levels before the Taliban takeover.

"Women accounted for 17 per cent of Afghanistan's labour force in 2020."

Also in an earlier report, SIGAR had warned of increasing unemployment in Afghanistan in the wake of an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

This comes as the Taliban-led government announced that it has plans to overcome the economic challenges, reports TOLO News.

"The Ministry of Economy has some specific strategies for creating job opportunities that are meant to attract humanitarian aid, strengthen the private sector and small business in short and long term plans," said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.

In 2020, the unemployment rate in Afghanistan was at approximately 11.73 per cent.