Since Taliban’s takeover, nearly a million jobs have vanished in Afghanistan

KABUL: More than 900,000 Afghans have lost their jobs since the Taliban took control last August, according to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

Working women are disproportionately affected, with women’s employment likely to drop by 21% by mid-2022, according to The Khaama Press.

Since the Taliban took over, unemployment has surged, and poverty has put millions of people at risk across the country.

According to the International Labour Organization, more than 500,000 Afghan workers were laid off in the third quarter of 2021, and the number of people laid off since the Taliban took control is expected to reach 700,000 to 900,000 by mid-2022, reported Khaama Press.

Afghanistan’s economy was already failing due to four decades of fighting, severe drought, and pandemics.

The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets and delayed aid when the Taliban seized power following the premature withdrawal of US troops.

Furthermore, since the Taliban assumed control, women who work, particularly female breadwinners, have struggled to make ends meet. According to Khaama Press, female employees in government offices are currently housed in the majority of cases.

Women’s rights have steadily improved in Afghanistan throughout the foreign presence, but the Taliban’s return threatens this progress.

The Taliban’s recent imposition of the burqa on Afghan women is an example.

Also Read

Afghan women defiant but feel ‘imprisoned’ by order to cover faces

Women in Afghanistan reacted angrily on Sunday when the Taliban issued a...