By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 8 February 2013:
At yesterday’s press conference, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Abdulsalam Al-Gadi, Deputy Labour Minister Abdulrazag Tamtam announced that a training programme for unemployed Libyans will be launched this month.
Speaking at the afternoon’s multi-sector press conference, Tamtam said that “a training programme has been ready since last year. From February we will be offering training within Libya to the unemployed or job seekers in, for example, ICDL (computing), English, and some essential skills.
“Job seekers will be able to apply through our Labour Offices all over Libya”, he continued. “These offices were created on the basis of the election constituency boundaries. We have also prepared an external training programme where local training is not available”, Tamtam added without giving further details.
“We have divided the training in different stages over the year. We have accredited many local private training centres as well as some state institutions. All training will be free to all Libyans seeking jobs. There will be further stages to be announced. We are not giving training for the purpose of training but we see training as a bridge to employment”, the Deputy Labour Minister explained.
“We have also reactivated our website for the purpose of decentralization and as a means of contact with the Ministry.”
Asked by the media to confirm Libya’s unemployment figures, Tamtam noted that “previously the recording of the unemployment figures was done manually. Forms were filled-in by hand all over the Labour Offices in Libya and they were sent to the Information Department at our Ministry. So there was room for inaccuracy. The old unemployment figure was over 340,000.”
“But I think this included many self-employed, housewives, students etc. Many registered, thinking that the state might distribute some kind of payments. In 2009 over 113,000 were recorded as unemployed. I think it should be around this figure now.”
“The new system of recording unemployment will involve linking through the internet and through the new National Identity Number. It should give us better results and should, for example, show us those who are still being paid by the state and also have a trade licence”, Deputy Labour Minister Tamtam concluded.
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