Armenia has a shortage of labor force, Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan said in an interview with Global Citizen.
'I believe that the UAE is one of the major countries in the world to attract a very large number of foreign workers to build their cities and country. Here in Armenia, we had the opposite. We were sending out people to work abroad who would send financial help to their families here. But now that we have a lot of work opportunities and a shortage of labor, we have started our immigration program to attract more people from Central Asia, India or African countries,' he said.
He added that there are tens of thousands of vacancies in the construction industry alone, and 'we also have companies that are trying to recruit highly skilled professionals in order to modernize and become more productive. We see this as a short-term problem. There is also a reluctance on the part of some people from other towns in Armenia to relocate to Yerevan because of the considerable difference in rent, which of course is higher in the capital. This short-term unemployment must be improved and a solution found.'
'Women in the work force are also very important for us and we have several projects targeting female entrepreneurs to help them accelerate their businesses. It’s going well I’m happy to say. We even have kindergartens and subsidized childcare to give mothers the freedom to work. In our society it has been traditional for women to take care of their children rather than men, but now we are actively facilitating women being part of the work force or starting their own businesses.'
He said in small communities such as villages, we are subsidizing and encouraging nannies; women who do not wish to be part of the work force, but rather care for the children of working mothers for a fee. It is extremely easy for women to find work nowadays because of the help we are giving. At present, there are tens of thousands of vacancies available in construction, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, for example, so it is not at all difficult to find work.
