Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- The Cuban government has agreed to allow all private businesses to hire employees,­ something previously restricted to a limited number of occupations, state media said Tuesday. A meeting of the Council of Ministers also approved a proposal to delay massive layoffs, Granma newspaper reported, without providing any details. Last year, President Raul Castro announced the biggest shakeup to the Soviet-style economic model in decades. He said more than a million state jobs needed to be eliminated. At the same time, he said more private enterprise would be allowed to help soak up some of the unemployed and provide new sources of income, via taxes, for depleted state coffers.
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All private businesses are allowed to hire employees, the Council of Ministers says
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Details will be provided at a later date, Granma newspaper reports
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More than 200,000 Cubans have bought licenses to open small businesses since October
The government published a list of 178 private occupations that @placeholder could hold, from running a private restaurant to working as a plumber to being a party clown.
The plan for government layoffs was harshly criticized by @placeholder worried that for the first time in 50 years they will no longer be guaranteed a job, no matter how small the salary.