Jobs for needy in Sulawesi

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi: A labor intensive project recently initiated in the Ujungpandang region is expected to provide jobs for 245,132 unemployed people.

The head of the manpower office in the area, Harry Mandey, said on Wednesday that the project would include the cleaning of 15.5 kilometers of sewers and drains, the construction of a 2 km road and the cultivation of neglected plots totaling 190 hectares.

The project is funded by the government with funding of Rp 2.2 billion and is targeted for completion in eight months.

Wages range from Rp 6,000 for the lowest skilled workers to Rp 10,000 for labor group heads.

The projects are to be conducted in 25 subdistricts. Antara reported on Wednesday that the number of people absorbed into the program was only a small percentage of the people who had lost their jobs since the crisis.