Floods increase jobless by 20%

TANGERANG: The number of unemployed in Tangerang has increased by 20 percent due to the recent floods, the town mayor said on Monday.

Before the floods, data at the manpower and population agency showed that there were 24,370 jobless people. But at present, the total could increase by at least 20 percent, Mayor Moch. Thamrin was quoted by Antara as saying.

Some small-scale traders like food vendors could not operate their businesses because their stalls or carts and their merchandise had been swept away by the floods.

Some factory workers have also lost their jobs because their workplaces were hit by the recent floods.

There are 1,671 factories in Tangerang.--JP