ADEN, Yemen, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government on Tuesday announced a series of economic and administrative reforms, including salary increases for public employees and changes to the customs exchange system, in an effort to ease growing economic hardship in the war-torn country.
The measures were approved during a Cabinet meeting in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen's temporary capital, according to the state-run Saba news agency.
Under the reforms, public sector workers will receive a 20-percent cost-of-living allowance to help offset rising prices and declining purchasing power.
The government also approved annual salary increases for state employees covering the years from 2021 to 2024, aiming to address long-standing problems in the public wage system.
In addition, officials approved the liberalization of the customs exchange rate for the U.S. dollar, a move expected to affect customs duties and government revenue collection in the import-dependent country.
Yemen's economy has sharply deteriorated since the conflict began after Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014, triggering a wider war in 2015.
Years of conflict and political division have disrupted oil and gas exports, weakened the national currency, and worsened living conditions across the country. ■
