The economic impact of the layoff wave at PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) is now being felt tangibly by the community around the industrial area of North Morowali, Central Sulawesi. After thousands of workers lost their livelihoods, supporting business sectors, particularly the boarding house business, experienced a significant decline in occupancy.
Data from the North Morowali Manpower and Transmigration Agency (Disnakertrans) notes that as many as 1,800 workers have been laid off by the nickel company within the past year. This phenomenon has created a domino effect for local residents who rely on income from renting rooms to migrant workers.
Aris Okking, a boarding house owner in Bunta Village, East Petasia Subdistrict, expressed the financial difficulties he is facing. Most of his rooms are now vacant, while he is still bound by the obligation to pay bank loan installments used as capital to build his business property. A similar condition was experienced by Feronica, another boarding house operator, who admitted to losing many tenants following the layoff wave.
Local business owners can now only hope for operational stability at PT GNI so that the wheels of the economy in the region can spin again. They hope that the employment situation will soon improve, allowing community economic activities to recover from the current downturn.
