Jobseekers outpace jobs

DILI, East Timor: The size of East Timor's workforce has been increasing at an annual rate of 3.74 in the last five years while the number of job opportunities are increasing at a pace of 3.37 percent, according to head of the Manpower Office Anton Setyono.

Anton explained that the East Timor work force increases rapidly largely because a greater number of local women are now opting to work. Five years ago, only 44 percent of the local adult women were working while now 75 percent of them do, the Antara news agency reported.

To overcome the unemployment problem, the Manpower Office is organizing vocational training courses and is working with the private sector to provide the facilities as well as apprenticeship program, he said. (emb)