Contract workers increase

Contract workers increase

SEMARANG: The number of people going abroad to work from
Central Java has steadily increased over the past several months,
Antara reported yesterday.

Head of the provincial manpower office, Andi Usman, said 2,843
Central Javanese had left Indonesia over the period between last
December and February to try their luck in other countries.

He said 788 had left in December, 807 in January and 1,248 in
February, adding that the number of workers leaving the country
from Central Java totaled 18,329 over recent years.

Of that total, 16,184 are women and 2,145 are men, he said.
Most work in the agricultural, industrial and construction
sectors or serve as domestic helpers.

He noted that the increase in the number of Central Javanese
working abroad was normal because people in the province often
took advantage of job opportunities in other countries.

"It may also be due to the monetary crisis since it has caused
a rise in unemployment," he added.

Singapore tops the list of the workers' destinations, followed
by Malaysia, Middle Eastern countries, Brunei, South Korea,
Taiwan and Hong Kong.