Acehnese working, but for how long?<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Ridwan, a freelance driver, was seen busy wandering around the
\npassenger arrival hall. He approached several potential
\npassengers arriving in Banda Aceh airport from Jakarta and
\noffered them his services.<\/p>\n
One by one the passengers turned down the offer as they had
\nalready made their own arrangements, but the young Acehnese kept
\ntrying, until a security guard warned him to get out as he had
\nentered a restricted area.<\/p>\n
He was soon locked in a heated argument with the security
\nguard, saying he was being discriminated against, but then a
\npassenger called, and Ridwan left the guard with a smile.<\/p>\n
Ridwan recalls how life has been tough. Competition for jobs
\nhas been increasingly fierce as Banda Aceh is recovering after
\nthe tsunami disaster that left some 130,000 Acehnese dead and
\nanother 500,000 displaced.<\/p>\n
The bonanza of cash for work and other temporary jobs in the
\nbooming construction projects will soon come to an end.<\/p>\n
Right now, \"As long as someone has the will to work, he will
\neasily get a job, says Ridwan, a freelance driver for the past
\ntwo years. \"But competition is getting fiercer.\"<\/p>\n
Job sustainability has been a cause for concern in rebuilding
\nAceh. Currently, the labor market is dominated by construction
\nwork. In a joint report released few days ago, the Aceh
\nReconstruction and Rehabilitation Body (BRR) and its
\ninternational partners estimate that construction jobs in Aceh
\nand Nias will be in the range of US$100 - US$150 million per
\nmonth for the two coming years, compared to less than US$10
\nmillion per month in 2003.<\/p>\n
To meet this demand, the International Labor Organization
\n(ILO) estimates that about 200,000 skilled laborers such as
\ncarpenters, bricklayers and others are required as well as a
\nsignificant number of unskilled workers. The BRR and the
\ngovernment claimed that priority would be given to the Acehnese
\nvictims of the tsunami but given the immediate demand for skilled
\nworkers and the time needed for training, many highly skilled
\nworkers had to be brought from outside regions, the report said.<\/p>\n
The report said the tsunami has led to major changes in the
\ncomposition and structure of the workforce. While there was a
\nspike in unemployment immediately after the tsunami disaster, the
\nlabor force has recovered rapidly one year later. The
\nparticipation of adult males in the labor force has returned to
\nthe pre-tsunami level, while the participation of youth and women
\nhas grown substantially.<\/p>\n
In order to keep employment at full capacity in the longer
\nterm, the BRR and its international partners said in their report
\nthat a labor monitoring system had to be developed. Training had
\nto be linked with the job market and the same time, a vocational
\ntraining coordination center should be set up to ensure the
\ntraining met a desirable standard.<\/p>\n
The current strategy that has been developed by the NGOs and
\nthe government in providing the victims of tsunami with \"a
\nfishing rod\" instead of the fish will be useful to keep
\nemployment in Aceh at full capacity in the next few years.<\/p>\n
One example of these efforts is Muslim, a resident of Kramat
\nsub-district in Aceh Besar regency. After losing his house and
\nfamily in the tragedy, he was given a small grant by a German
\nNGO, which paid advance payments on a motorbike, which Muslim
\nused as a motorcycle taxi. He had two years to pay the balance.<\/p>\n
With the motorcycle taxi, the 40-year-old former fisherman can
\nnow earn a living without being dependent on aid given by NGOs or
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
\"I think my life is on the right track,\" said Muslim.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-working-but-for-how-long-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }