Some 7,585 jobs were created, a 36 percent increase over the previous year. Labor productivity improved by almost 23 percent over the previous year. This is part of the national trend, with unemployment on the island declining to 5.5 percent last year. Joblessness nationwide was reported to be 8 percent at the height of the crisis in 1996, not counting those on extended layoffs or short hours due to plant closings for lack of raw materials or electrical parts. Industrial and agricultural production continued to rise over the past year, according to figures reported at the conference.
Sugar is a vital source of hard currency needed to finance Cuba's social priorities.
Doricel Dopico S nchez, secretary of the construction workers union, shared Ramad n's view as to the importance of the housing question. House-building is being revived, she said, by relaunching voluntary work as a way to resolve this social need. Dopico said this effort began a few years ago, led by the Communist Party. The government pays half the costs of the building materials for an individual worker's house, and the family concerned gets loans to finance the other half. While some skilled workers are provided to help direct the labor, most of the construction work is done by family members, friends, and neighbors who volunteer after working hours or on weekends.