More than 16,000 self-employment projects had been registered in Cuba as of November 3, according to official sources.
These projects have been presented since the start of the “improvement” of this form of non-state management, according to a report by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency.
This process, carried out as part of the recent economic reforms of the island’s government, includes an expansion of self-employment, although a list of prohibited activities is maintained.
In this regard, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) pointed out on Twitter that the registration of these 16,000 projects “translates into territorial development and, as part of this, the generation of new jobs.”
Con el perfeccionamiento del trabajo por cuenta propia, se han registrado hasta el 3 de noviembre, 16 847 proyectos de trabajo, aspecto que se traduce en el desarrollo territorial y, como parte de este, la generación de nuevos empleos.#Empleo #MtssCuba #Cuba #Agenda2030 pic.twitter.com/sY5mqqrO1a
— MTSS CUBA (@MTSS_CUBA) November 5, 2021
According to the source, of the total projects submitted 11,550 are new (69%) and 5,527 have been modified. The largest number of them correspond to Havana (5,592), Matanzas (2,015), and Santiago de Cuba (1,826).
The most requested activities are accommodations and food services, the manufacturing industry, agriculture, livestock, as well as other activities related to services such as beauty and domestic services, the ACN reported.
“The initiatives approved in these modalities make up a total of 10,246 projects, of which 4,087 are already registered in the National Tax Administration Office, with a fiscal vector and taxpayer card,” the agency added.
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According to the MTSS, the “improvement” of self-employment seeks to “consolidate this form of work, and adjust it to the characteristics of its activities with the appearance of new economic actors.”
In addition, it aims to “generate quality jobs with the possibility of productive linkages, which make it possible to reduce imports, making the most of the potential and talent in the state and non-state sectors.”
Cuba is going through a severe economic crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic and U.S. sanctions. In this difficult scenario, the island’s authorities have taken a group of measures to try to boost the economy, including giving the state-owned enterprises greater autonomy, authorizing the creation of MSMEs and expanding self-employment, although the reforms have not yet achieved “the expected results,” as has been recognized.
