Tangerang home to 428 foreign workers

TANGERANG: The number of foreign workers living in Tangerang increased to 428 in December 2002 from 380 the year before, according to data from the manpower agency.

The chief of the foreign workers placement and control department at the agency, Abdul Hadi Supradinata, said on Thursday that 158 workers are from South Korea, 77 are from Taiwan and 73 are from Japan.

The office also listed 23 workers from India, 21 from China, nine from Singapore, eight from the Philippines, seven from the United Kingdom, six from the Netherlands, six from Germany, six from Malaysia, six from Australia, five from Italy, four from Switzerland, three from Sri Lanka, three from America and one from Myanmar. The other foreign workers include one Spaniard, one French citizen, one Irish national and one New Zealander.

Many firms hire foreigners due to a lack of local experts and because foreign investors also lack trust in local workers, said Supradinata.

"That does not necessarily mean that this nation is not smart. Foreign businessmen believe foreign workers are more capable of handling the work, especially in dealing with technical matters since they are professionals in their fields," he said.

Meanwhile, the agency chief, Adang Turwana, said that expatriates were only allowed to work in marketing, technical and sales fields, or to sit on the board of directors.

He said foreigners were not allowed to work in a human resources department or the management field as stipulated by Law No. 358/1995 on the placement of foreign workers. --JP