More than 30,000 lose jobs in Jakarta amid COVID-19 pandemic

Jakarta skyline. Photo: Coconuts Media
Jakarta skyline. Photo: Coconuts Media

Newly released statistics on unemployment in Jakarta has come to reflect the huge economic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had in the capital, with more than 30,000 losing their jobs over the past month.

As reported by Tempo, the Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration, and Energy Agency yesterday said that since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early March, 30,137 workers in Jakarta had been laid off by 3,348 companies up to April 4.

Furthermore, the agency said that 132,279 workers from 14,697 companies have been forced to go on unpaid leave.

No data was provided on the number of workers in the capital who have had to accept pay cuts during the pandemic. The unemployment statistics were not broken down into specific sectors either at this point.

The Jakarta Provincial Government says that considering the huge influx in the unemployment numbers amid the circumstances, officials are accelerating the provision of government-mandated compensation and/or job training for workers who were laid off or placed on unpaid leave.

Based on 2019 data, Jakarta has a total workforce of 5.4 million, 5.13 percent or 279 thousand of whom were unemployed.

Also Read — COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia expected to peak in July: State Intelligence Agency 



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