GENEVA, Jan 19: Asia's tsunami left over one million people without the means to make a living, but effective aid could see more than half of them back at work within a year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday.

In Indonesia and Sri Lanka, which took the brunt of the Dec. 26 disaster, the cost in jobs was around one million, it said. But the giant waves, which killed more than 220,000 around the Indian Ocean, also slammed into 10 other countries, causing huge damage.

"The flooding ... has had a severe impact ... (in) the predominantly poor communities where people mainly live off the sea and marginal land (it) has cost people not only their incomes, but also most of their meagre possessions," the ILO said.

Unemployment in Aceh province, the most affected part of Indonesia, had probably soared to 30 percent or more from a little under 7 percent before the tragedy, while in Sri Lanka it would have more than doubled to 20 percent.

Fast and effective international assistance, including repairing infrastructure and replacing equipment needed for work, could see 50-60 percent of jobs restored or new ones created by the end of 2005, the United Nations agency said. That figure could reach 85 percent in 24 months. The tsunami disaster, one of the worst in living memory, has prompted unprecedented international assistance, with promises of aid exceeding some $7.0 billion. -Reuters