Jakarta – The ongoing economic crisis and political instability in Indonesia since mid-1997 have pushed up unemployment to 37.4 million, a local newspaper controlled by the former ruling Golkar Party said Saturday.

The Suara Karya daily quoted Manpower Minister Bomer Pasaribu as saying the condition has been worsened by the slow pace of economic recovery caused by conflicts among the political elite, while companies in the country can absorb only about 1.5 million workers annually. "The economic crisis has also played a role in sparking waves of unrest across the country," Pasaribu was quoted as saying.

The unemployment rate has increased to 43.29% of the country's 86.4-million-strong workforce from 7.24% before the crisis, the paper said. Before the crisis, the jobless tally was 6.3 million.