Unrest Lays Off 60 Per Cent Of Yemen Private Sector Workers

Sana'a, June 18, 2011

Many Yemeni workers at the private sector have been laid off due to the month-long unrest which paralyzed trade and largely affected the national economy, alsahwa-yemen.net quoted economists as saying on Saturday.

The protests calling for the ouster of the regime also forced many businesses to close, the website said, adding that economists estimated the contracts of almost 60 per cent of the workers at the private sector were terminated.

Some companies were said to have given staffs unpaid vacations until the situation returns normal, it said.

Meantime, state employees complained of late pays and deductions from their salaries, as some public offices were said to have suspended salary rises or other funds allocated for their employees besides the main salaries.

The website cited a source at the private sector as saying that the political crisis in the country paralyzed trade and productive operations at the sector by 70 per cent.

It is worth to mention that casual market absorbs more that a million workers, most of whom have already lost their jobs due to the unrest.

Source: Yemen Post