Unakitan: Growth Figures Supported By Rise In Productivity Will Boost Employment

ANKARA - Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said, ''growth figures supported by rise in productivity will also boost employment.''
Unakitan held a press conference on budget results and developments in economy on Friday.
''If we maintain the current trend consistently, there will be recovery in unemployment rates in the next months,'' he said.
Recalling that inflation rate which was 30.8 percent in December 2002 reduced to around 10 percent as a result of the economic program implemented in the country, Unakitan said that annual inflation target was 12 percent, believing that this rate would be lower than it was targeted.
Unakitan said that public sector were saving money to decrease debt stock, stating that they decreased the share of budget deficit in GNP to 11.3 percent in 2003 as a result of healthy financial policies. ''It is expected that this figure will reduce to 8.5 percent at the end of 2004,'' he stressed.
Unakitan stated that 2005 would be the last year when annual budget policy would be pursued, adding that three-year budget system would be put into force in 2006, thus budget discipline would be strengthened.
(EÖ-ULG) 17.09.2004