The unemployment rate in Jaffna has climbed to 21 percent said the Jaffna District Secretary K. Mahesan on Monday, as he revealed thousands had registered as job seekers in the district.
Mahesan quoted the figures from a Central Bank of Sri Lanka report, which reveals the unemployment rate in the district has almost tripled in the last year alone.
19,147 people had registered as job seekers with the Jaffna District Secretariat Human Resource Employment Department, he added.
Last year, the unemployment rate in Jaffna stood at 7.5%.
The ongoing militarisation of the North-East, alongside continued human rights abuses and an economic crisis have all contributed to the job crisis in the Tamil homeland.
Though the Sri Lankan government pledged to demilitarise the region, the military continues to run barber shops, restaurants, and even tourist resorts. The military also continues to occupy vast regions of land across the North-East, which continues to leave Tamils displaced.