Zim-Asset creating massive jobs, claims Jonathan Moyo

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Jonathan Moyo has claimed that countless jobs are being created under the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).

He says the story of company closures "in Zimbabwe is quite amazing"

"These people who keep on saying where are the 2,2 million jobs, we will let the jobs count for themselves. Because we have the three years behind us, the two years now must be of policy orientation and that is why attempts to derail will not succeed because everybody is now wiser," Moyo told Bulawayo reporters recently.

He added, "People have been telling us about companies closing. In fact the story of company closures in Zimbabwe is quite amazing because we get the impression we have had an unlimited number of companies and they keep closing in their thousands and have been doing this since 1999.

"I think we have got to be reasonable and understand that out of the closures of some of these companies there are new formations and largely in the form of small and medium enterprises and there is serious job creation."

Thousands of employees have lost jobs across sectors using last year's July 17 Supreme Court ruling that allowed employers to dismiss workers on three months' notice without paying severance packages.

The introduction of the multi-currency system in 2009, following hyperinflation, triggered retrenchments in the banking sector, as banks moved to rationalise operations to contain costs.

Numerous companies have employed several measures that include pay cuts to remain operational as the economic crisis in the country deepens.