Agricultural Dependence
Zimbabwe is heavily dependent upon agricultural products and has little access to advanced technology that would enable Zimbabwe to export products that require significant processing. Tobacco is one of the leading exports of Zimbabwe.
"In Zimbabwe we are very dependent on tobacco," says Dr Andrew Matibiri, director of the country's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. "It makes up 26% of our foreign currency exports. Any movement towards reduction of the exports will affect our economy, especially poverty alleviation."
Zimbabwe's exporting market consists of mostly agricultural products such as tobacco, cotton, coffee, maize, and wheat. The other leading products are mining products, as Zimbabwe is very rich in raw materials.
"In Zimbabwe we are very dependent on tobacco," says Dr Andrew Matibiri, director of the country's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. "It makes up 26% of our foreign currency exports. Any movement towards reduction of the exports will affect our economy, especially poverty alleviation."
Zimbabwe's exporting market consists of mostly agricultural products such as tobacco, cotton, coffee, maize, and wheat. The other leading products are mining products, as Zimbabwe is very rich in raw materials.
Unemployment
Unemployment in Zimbabwe is complicated, as reports are conflicting:
“Zimbabwe's unemployment rate remains very high at more than 70 percent with less than 900 000 people formally employed out of a 13 million population, a leading economist has said" - Daily News Report
"Zimbabwe has an unemployment rate of 11 percent, contrary to claims by some economists that the country has a joblessness rate of more than 70 percent, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency director-general Mr Dzinotizei Mutasa said yesterday." - The Herald
The leading economist believes that the people in informal jobs, making a living as farmers or something else, not employed by an actual business, are counted as unemployed, while Mutasa would count them as employed. He would also count people who work less than they would like as employed. Mutasa is likely more generous with these unemployment rates because a high unemployment rate could reflect badly on him. How you view Zimbabwe's unemployment is dependent upon how you view unemployment, but most economists would consider the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe to be very high.
“Zimbabwe's unemployment rate remains very high at more than 70 percent with less than 900 000 people formally employed out of a 13 million population, a leading economist has said" - Daily News Report
"Zimbabwe has an unemployment rate of 11 percent, contrary to claims by some economists that the country has a joblessness rate of more than 70 percent, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency director-general Mr Dzinotizei Mutasa said yesterday." - The Herald
The leading economist believes that the people in informal jobs, making a living as farmers or something else, not employed by an actual business, are counted as unemployed, while Mutasa would count them as employed. He would also count people who work less than they would like as employed. Mutasa is likely more generous with these unemployment rates because a high unemployment rate could reflect badly on him. How you view Zimbabwe's unemployment is dependent upon how you view unemployment, but most economists would consider the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe to be very high.