Unemployment rampant in Bogor

BOGOR (JP): Unemployment stood at a staggering 49,000 in 2000 in the Bogor mayoralty, despite ceaseless attempts to reduce it, Mayor Iswara Natanegara said on Friday.

In his progress report delivered before the mayoralty legislative council, Iswara said unemployment would be one of the city's major obstacles in its development program in the coming years.

During the year 2000, he said, the mayoralty administration managed to place 6,491 people in workplaces through the people's empowerment programs, such as the community economic empowerment movement (Garda Emas), internal work program, temporary work program, skill improvement training program and self-employment program.

He partly blamed the political instability and economic adversity for the high unemployment rate.

Rampant unemployment in the mayoralty is evident in the growing number of street children and vendors, Iswara said.

He said the administration spent more than Rp 16 billion to improve human resources in the last fiscal year. (21/01)