The World Bank’s “Azerbaijan Employment Support Project” will help expand the self-employment program, according to the statement made in the Azerbaijani Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population during a meeting with the preliminary assessment mission on the WB’s “Azerbaijan Employment Support Project”.
Attracting the unemployed to self-employment will provide them with access to the formal labor market and fruitful activity.
Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev said that one of the directions of the socio-economic policy of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was to increase the opportunities for effective employment of the country’s population.
He stressed that the self-employment program, being carried out in accordance with the president’s instructions, was being expanded every year.
“The program is important in terms of participation in small business, especially for citizens from socially vulnerable groups,” he added.
While speaking about the cooperation between the WB and Azerbaijan, the minister said that the Azerbaijan Employment Support Project created conditions for the continuation of this cooperation in another sphere.
Babayev stressed the importance of the project from the point of view of expanding the self-employment program, as well as studying international best practice in this sphere, increasing the potential of vocational training centers at the ministry and other spheres.
Head of the preliminary assessment mission, senior economist Sandor Karacsony spoke about the preparatory work for the implementation of the project.
The project will help choose the types of self-employment in economic spheres on the basis of studying the labor market, identifying the opportunities for the unemployed to participate in the self-employment project, the preparation and organization of training programs and some other spheres.
The initial evaluation was expressed within the project during the meeting. Among other issues, the planned stage-by-stage and preparatory work, management practice in this sphere were also discussed. (Trend/Business World Magazine)