The Georgian government is working on establishing an Employment Agency which will be a legal entity under the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, reports Georgia Today. Its aim will be to reduce the level of unemployment in the country and to train qualified workers for potential employers. The agency is set to be established less than a year before the 2020 parliamentary elections. According to official information, it will aim to provide public employment support services and pursue active employment and labour market policies. Akaki Zoidze, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Healthcare Committee, said that the main goal of the project is to promote employment in Georgia, with special emphasis on those who have problems finding a job. However, the announcement has also faced criticism with economist Paata Sheshelidze saying the “creation of an agency will be a waste of money.” “Employment is a free process of the open market and if the government wants to promote the employment sector, it has to help the open market and create a situation where people can use their land, property and resources for various activities,” Sheshelidze said. The annual unemployment rate in Georgia decreased by 1.2% to 12.7% in 2018, according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).