Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises Hassan Zareer has stated that 18,053 employees were recruited into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) over the five-year tenure of the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration.

The Minister made these remarks while responding to a question posed by MDP MP for North Galolhu constituency, Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), during today’s sitting of the People’s Majlis.

Answering the lawmaker’s queries, the Minister stated that the current administration has recruited 4,938 employees to state-owned companies.

Citing historical employment records obtained through the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB), the Minister stated that there were 18,676 employees in state companies in 2018. However, from 2019 to 2023, that figure increased by nearly 100 percent.

The Minister explained that while total staffing reached 36,729 by the end of that period, the addition of 4,938 employees hired under this administration since 2024 has brought the current total headcount across state companies to 41,667.

Zareer stated that if the Maldives is to strengthen its economy in line with developed nations, state companies must be rightsized to reduce workforce numbers.

However, the Minister affirmed that no state-owned enterprise has been instructed to dismiss employees based on their political party affiliation, political ideology, or expressed opinions.

The Minister noted that with public sector workers accounting for 53 percent of the workforce in the Maldives, the economy remains heavily unstructured, adding that targeted efforts are necessary to resolve this challenge.