For many of the job seekers, queuing up here starts as early as 2am believe it is the earliest bird that catches the fattest worm. However, this effort usually comes to nought because the early risers find others who spent the night in the queue outside the premises. They sleep on cardboards, some of which we find just outside.
Last week, the throng of job seekers nearly affected the traffic flow as it spilled outside the premises towards the road. A near stampede occurred when the offices opened for business as the desperate job seekers pushed against one another, destroying the main gate in the process. It took the police's intervention to get the situation under control, after which the overwhelmed labour officers used caravans behind the main office to register the job seekers. "On Monday, I came here as early as 2am to register," says one job seeker. "But believe me, I was number 842. I actually felt sorry for those who came earlier." Another job seeker says he started queuing before the office opened for business, hoping to be picked by companies looking for workers. "If queuing up here was a job, I would have long qualified for gratuity," the man says. "I virtually live here, but nothing comes my way."
