In an effort to reduce unemployment in the country, the Ministry of Labor today launched a first ever National Employment Center.

Chief guest Education Minister Filipe Bole said the center is to help government tackle unemployment, one of the toughest challenges faced in the country.

Bole said that according to IMF reports, the unemployment rate in the country was 8.6% in the year 2007 which the Fiji government aims to reduce to 4.2% by 2012.