Yogyakarta (Antara Bali) - Increase in regional minimum wages may result in more jobs cut leading to growing number of street side traders in this ancient central Java city.
Implementation of the regulation raising the labor wages this year may force factories to cut jobs dismissing part of their workers for efficiency, Head of the Association of Yogayakarta Street Traders Rudiartono said here on Saturday.
"Companies could not be forced to keep their workers and face difficulty in paying them," Rudiartono said.
He said many of the workers would likely find new livelihood as street side traders.
Currently Yogyakarta has around 7,000 street side traders and the number is expected to continue to increase especially with more factory workers expected to lose their jobs, he said.
He said the number of street side traders has increased mainly because of limited availability of jobs for salaried people in the city.
"Some workers would be lucky for not being dismissed but other would have to fight for their future and to support their families," he said. (*/DWA/T007)
