Jambi – Jambi has been seeing a rising number of layoffs in the province since early this year, due to the continued fallout from the global economic crisis.

The provincial transmigration and manpower agency recorded that during January and February, nearly 500 workers had been dismissed, not including those put on temporary leave for the same reasons.

Mahmud, head of the agency's industrial relations supervision division, said that among the companies putting their workers on temporary leave was PT Sumatera Timber Utama Damai (STUD), which had sent nearly 950 of its workers home.

Other companies, he added, preferred to reduce working hours to deal with the global crisis. "This means the wages the workers receive are also reduced," he said.