35,200 people in Tangerang jobless

TANGERANG: More than 35,000 people from Tangerang, Banten are unemployed and the number of jobs is shrinking, the Tangerang Regency Labor Agency said on Tuesday.

"Our data shows that 35,200 people of productive age between 20 and 39 years of age are jobless in Tangerang," agency chairman Apon Suryana was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said the number of jobless in the regency would increase as the labor market could not accommodate all the school graduates. The unemployment rate could also rise further due to layoffs in the textile and shoe industries.

Recently, Tangerang-based PT Doson Indonesia, contracted to shoe giant Nike, fired 6,800 of its workers due to a significant decrease in orders from the U.S. firm.

Apon said the regency administration saw unemployment as a very serious problem.

"Every week people have staged rallies to demand the government or private companies provide jobs for them. The latest plea is from the residents of Lengkong Wetan in Serpong who are demanding the Bumi Serpong Damai Developer employ them," he said.--JP