Awwal 26, 1432 H/March 1, 2011, SPA -- Cuban President Raul Castro has admitted a delay in plans to eliminate more than 500,000 state-sector jobs by the end of March, a key element in his plans to reform Cuba's socialist economy. During a Council of Ministers session Monday, Castro warned that "a task of this magnitude, which affects so many citizens one way or another, cannot fit non-flexible deadlines," according to an official statement that was read on the evening news on Cuban state television. "Taking into account the delay in the start of this process, (Castro) advised an adjustment in the chronology of its execution, as well as insisting on his will that the Cuban state should leave no one defenceless," dpa cited the statement as saying. In October, the Castro government unveiled plans to cut down the large payrolls of many state-owned companies. However, the mass sackings that were expected are yet to materialize. To compensate for this job reduction in the state sector, Cuban authorities late last year increased opportunities for private initiative, allowing Cubans to open small businesses in 178 fields of the economy. By the end of last year, more than 80,000 people had obtained licences to open private businesses, mostly small restaurants. According to authorities, the unemployed can also work in construction, agriculture, education or the police, where there is a capacity for job creation.
