Battle for jobs in north

Tuesday, 15 March 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

* 56,000 people queue up for 11,600 vacancies in Jaffna

* USAID-JobsNet fair in Vavuniya shows high rates of unemployment in resettled areas

Text and Pic by Romesh Madushanka our Vavuniya Correspondent

By Over 90 companies that participated in the job fair organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and JobsNet on Sunday for people living in the north had issued applications for 11,600 employees.

The job fair was held for people in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar. It was clear that many of the resettled people are in need of employment with around 56,000 people lining up from the Vuvuniya town bus depot to the Tamil Maha Vidyalaya to apply for the 11,600 vacancies advertised by the companies.

The USAID representative observed that the number of people attending the job fair for employment in the private sector showed the true extent of unemployment among the people in the northern regions of the country.