A number of workers in Herat city complain about the increase in the unemployment rate and say that they are looking for work from dusk till dawn in different areas of the city, but some nights they return home empty-handed.
These workers, mostly daily wagers, mainly do construction work.
The days when I return home empty-handed are “very difficult”, says Mohammad, one of the workers.
“Providing family expenses is my responsibility. If I get work for the day, I earn about 250 Afghanis ($2.50)a day. On days when there is no work, I have nothing to get for my family.”, Mohammad told Kabul Now.
Mohammad adds that he has not been able to pay the electricity bill and his family has been spending nights in the dark for a week.
Mohammad is not the only daily wagers in Herat who is facing such a situation. Ali Agha also says that he suffers from unemployment. “I worked only for two days last week. Our economic situation is very bad. On days when there is no work, we spend our nights and days having no meal; in the current situation, it is very difficult to get food to eat.”, Ali Agha told our reporter.
According to him, unemployment and high prices on the one hand and the arrival of the winter season, on the other hand, have made life difficult for him.
He wants the Taliban government to support the workers and create job opportunities.
Officials of the Department of Labour and Social Affairs of the Taliban in Herat province say that this department is trying to create job opportunities in collaboration with some foreign organizations.
Hafiz Mirza Mohammad Abu Mansour, head of the Department of Labour and Social Affairs of the Taliban in Herat, says that currently 2,500 men and women are learning professional skills and vocations in various aid organizations.
According to him, in addition to the technical and vocational training provided to these people by the aid organizations, work equipment and cash assistance have been distributed too.
After the Taliban returned to power, unemployment and poverty in the country reached their peak. The statistics from international organizations show more than 97% of Afghan people are below the poverty line and need help to get through the upcoming winter.
