City hires unemployed workers

JAKARTA (JP): The city is to employ an additional 5,000 unskilled workers per month from January to tackle rising unemployment caused by the economic and monetary crisis, an official said yesterday.

The work programs, based on President Soeharto's order for creating labor intensive projects during the crisis, would be carried out for three months after which they would be evaluated, said Vice Governor for Economic and Financial Affairs Harun Al Rasyid.

"The workers will be hired to work on the city's drainage system, including waterwork repairs, river dredgings and renovations of dikes and canals, which are all so important to prevent floods during the current rainy season," Harun said.

Soeharto ordered Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief on Monday to seek ways to employ workers, especially in the construction sector in Jakarta and Surabaya, in the lead up to Christmas, the Ramadhan fasting month and Idul Fitri.

A large number of blue-collar workers here have lost their jobs due to their companies' cash flow problems during the severe economic turmoil.

According to Harun, the first 5,000 workers would be evenly dispatched to all five of the city's mayoralties.

He said the expenditures for the program, which would come from the state budget, had not been calculated yet.

"The workers will be paid at least the minimum wage here," Harun said.

The city's monthly minimum wage is set at Rp 172,500 (US$35.20) per person.

Harun stressed that the workers involved in the labor intensive projects would be carefully selected.

Unskilled workers from outside Jakarta would not be allowed to join the program, he said.

"There is usually plenty of agricultural work available in villages during the rainy season," said Harun.

Based on data from the city's manpower agency, the number of unskilled workers here is 435,000. (ind)