Unemployment rate rises 6% in the city

Unemployment rate rises 6% in the city

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor expressed concern yesterday
over the high level of unemployment, which increased from 4
percent last year to 6 percent of the city's nine million
residents this year.

"This is really dangerous for the city and its future
development," Djafar Badjeber, a member of the United Development
Party faction, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Based on the faction's observations, Djafar said, there are at
least 100 to 500 unemployed people and a further 500 to 1,000
cases of disguised unemployment in each of Jakarta's 265
subdistricts.

"Coupled with homeless people and other social outcasts, the
current number of unemployed people in the city is estimated at
500,000."

Djafar said the high rate of unemployment was mainly due to an
imbalance between job openings and the number of people who want
to work.

"Based on City Social Service Agency data, 90 percent of
unemployed people come from other parts of the country and they
moved to Jakarta to fulfill their dreams.

"Without adequate skills, however, they end up homeless or, if
they are lucky, they find jobs in informal sectors, becoming ojek
(motorcycle taxi) drivers and sidewalk vendors. This really
burdens the city.

"It is time for the municipality to create more training
centers in order to teach more people the necessary skills," he
said. "The two training centers currently managed by the
municipality are not enough."

Djafar said if the municipality does not do anything to
rectify the situation, unemployment problems may lead to social
unrest and other potential complications for city security and
stability.

"Unemployed people tend to behave badly because they are
frustrated and do not have anything to do. This situation can
lead to riots if there are sensitive issues, such as the gap
between rich and poor."

Djafar also urged contractors and private companies not to act
flippantly and dismiss their employees in response to the current
monetary crisis.

"Reportedly, there are already 40,000 workers in the property
sector who have been fired because there are no jobs left for
them," he said.

In a related development, Emon Sumantri, the head of the
city's social service agency, said yesterday that Jakarta had
been flooded by vagrants and beggars over the past four months.

About 1,000 new beggars and vagrants reportedly enter the city
every month because development projects in their hometown have
been delayed as a result of the monetary crisis, Emon said.

The city is placed in an difficult position because every time
the city runs an operation to send vagrants and beggars back
home, new faces appear.

"This problems really burdens the city," he said. "But because
of the economic crisis there isn't much we can do right now."
(07)