The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, has clarified that the government is not setting a fixed employment target for 2026. Instead, job creation efforts will focus on around 3 million people who are either unemployed or dissatisfied with their current work.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Dr. Pelpuo explained that the dynamic nature of the labour market makes it difficult to commit to a specific number of jobs.

“Even if we address current unemployment within a year, new job seekers will continue entering the labour market. If we solve it this year, next year new university graduates will be looking for work,” he said.

The minister emphasized that the 3 million figure should not be interpreted as a formal target, but rather as a priority group for government intervention.

“This group includes people who are completely unemployed as well as those who already have jobs but are not satisfied and are seeking better opportunities. That segment of the population is our focus right now,” Dr. Pelpuo explained.

He stressed that the figure is not a promise or fixed annual goal, but a guideline for designing job creation programmes.

“For the period we are focusing on, we are targeting these 3 million people who are either unemployed or dissatisfied with their current employment. These are the intended beneficiaries of our initiatives,” he said.

However, the minister admitted that it is not possible to specify how many jobs will actually be created within the year.

“How much will be done this year is what I cannot tell you,” Dr. Pelpuo noted, underscoring the challenges of planning in a continuously changing labour market.