Government is the country`s largest employer, and by implication influences the spending patterns of large swathes of consumers. Establishing the exact number of civil servants under its employ is an imprecise endeavour. In an interview in August 2019, finance minister Mthuli Ncube noted that the total government payroll was about 400,000 individuals a month. Separately, some estimates put the total number of civil servants excluding those in the security forces at 250,000. Meanwhile, a 2019, Labour Force survey by ZimStat, reveals that some 249,000 people, representing 2% of the population, receive a monthly pension or some social security funds. A conservative estimate would thus arrive at a monthly amount of at least US$37.8 million, that government will be paying its workers, as part of the recently announced COVID-19 allowances, running until August 2020. Converted at the ruling interbank rate of 57, this translates
Economics, Business and Finance