Govt to run labor intensive program

JAKARTA: Fighting chronic unemployment, the government will run a labor intensive employment program next month.

The program will be implemented in 40 regencies in Central, West and East Java provinces, said Kirnadi, director general for domestic job placement at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, on Tuesday.

He said the program was aimed at reducing the social impact of unemployment and the current prolonged drought. Some 38 million Indonesians are currently jobless.

Kirnadi said the government had earmarked Rp 6 billion (US$750,000) to finance the program. The labor intensive program will include the repair of markets and roads. -- Antara