Cuba's plans to lay off half a million state workers by the end of March are behind schedule, President Raul Castro has acknowledged.
Mr Castro, quoted by state television, said the timetable for the cuts would be altered to soften their impact.
The redundancies form part of plans to revive Cuba's struggling economy, an issue due to be discussed at a rare Communist Party Congress in April.
The Cuban government currently employs about 85% of the official workforce.
President Castro, addressing a joint meeting of his cabinet and the Council of State, said given the lay-offs were behind schedule, the timeline would be adjusted, state television reported.
"A job of this magnitude which will affect so many citizens in one way or another cannot be marked by inflexible timetables," the report quoted him as saying. BBC News
