Manpower office inundated by people seeking work

Manpower office inundated by people seeking work

TANGERANG (JP): The Tangerang office of the Ministry of
Manpower has been swarmed by scores of people seeking jobs as the
number of dismissed workers continues to rise because of the
severe impact of the prolonged economic crisis, an official said
on Friday.

At least 6,000 people have visited the manpower office in
search of job opportunities since the end of the Idul Fitri
holiday last month, Farid Appandi, the office's deputy head,
said.

"An average of 500 job seekers visit the office every day. The
number of new applicants is likely to continue increasing," Farid
said.

During the economic crisis the number of workers dismissed in
the city is estimated at 45,000 people from 580 companies.

He said that the large number of people seeking jobs at the
manpower office is overwhelming because job openings at surviving
companies are limited.

Moreover, most people finding employment sign short-term
contracts according to a company's limited need to fill orders.
As soon as the orders are filled the contracts are terminated,
Farid said.

He said the limited number of job opportunities was caused by
the fact that most investors were still too cautious to enter the
country. Most investors are watching to see what the government
will do during this time of political instability, he said.

He expressed concern that many job seekers do not have
sufficient skills.

He suggested that people improve their skills by joining
training courses held jointly by the manpower office and various
companies.

"Whenever there is an announcement that a certain company
needs, say, 300 workers, the number of applicants usually far
exceeds the available vacancies," Farid said, adding that only a
small percentage of hopefuls met the job requirements.

Several people seeking jobs said that they were forced to go
to the manpower office because there were no opportunities in
their villages.

"I left my village to join my relatives in Tangerang," said
Sudarno, 19, a graduate of a senior high school in Gunung Kidul,
Yogyakarta.

Warsito, 21, of Ngawi, East Jakarta, said, "I am trying to
find whatever work will enable me to be self-reliant and help my
family." Warsito, a graduate of a senior technical high school,
has been out of work for the last two years.

He said that he took the entrance exam to join the civil
service, but he did not pass because he did not have the money to
pay a bribe.

Farid suggested that the Tangerang mayoralty and regency
initiate more labor intensive projects to help the unemployed.

He said the administrations could use a portion of the Rp 6
billion provided by the central government under the social
safety net program to finance the projects.

Under the program, the Tangerang mayoralty received Rp 4
billion and the Tangerang regency received Rp 2 million, he said.
(41/jun)