Acknowledge poor labor conditions: Scholar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A respected demographer urged the government
\nyesterday to acknowledge Indonesia's less favorable labor
\nconditions as the first step to improving them.<\/p>\n
Aris Ananta of the University of Indonesia said only if the
\ngovernment acknowledges the disadvantages would conditions be
\nimproved.<\/p>\n
Aris said one problem is that the bulk of the Indonesian
\nworkforce is unskilled -- a condition that has prompted doubts
\nabout Indonesia's ability to compete in the world market when
\nworld trade is liberalized.<\/p>\n
Liberalization will allow free flow of workers from one
\ncountry to another, but would not bring foreign exchange since
\nmigrants were not tourists, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We should consider how migration will improve workers'
\nlivelihoods,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Addressing a two-day seminar at the University of Indonesia's
\nSchool of Economics entitled Accelerating human resources quality
\nto face the year 2003 and 2020, Aris called on the government to
\nchange their interpretation of unemployment rate statistics.<\/p>\n
\"Developing countries tend to hide their unemployment rate and
\nlabor conditions when these shortcomings could actually be a tool
\nto reflect and improve,\" Aris said.<\/p>\n
According to Aris, the unemployment rate does not reflect a
\ncountry's economic. If the concern is to eradicate poverty, then
\nincome distribution, productivity and welfare should be the main
\nconsiderations, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Poor people cannot afford to be unemployed,\" Aris said,
\nadding that income should not be the sole economic measure
\nbecause many people work in the informal sector.<\/p>\n
According to 1990 official figures, Indonesia's unemployment
\nrate was 3 percent.<\/p>\n
By the year 2005, when population is about 223 million, the
\nrate is predicted to reach 5 percent and to rise to at least 8
\npercent from year 2020 to naturally follow population increases
\nwhen the population is 254 million.<\/p>\n
\"People of working age will have more working options because
\nthey will be more educated and generally more prosperous,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Other speakers included Minister of Population\/Chairman of the
\nNational Family Planning Board Haryono Suyono, Minister of
\nEducation and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro and Muh. Budyatna,
\ndean of the School of Social and Political Science at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Wardiman said Indonesia could improve the quality of its human
\nresources by focusing on the link-and-match concept of education,
\nwhich links educational training programs to projected employment
\nneeds.<\/p>\n
\"We can no longer think only of education for the sake of
\neducation but we must think about how to gear education in ways
\nthat will meet market demand,\" Wardiman said.<\/p>\n
Umar Kayam from the University of Gadjah Mada, however,
\ncriticized Wardiman's link-and-match concept.<\/p>\n
\"The link and match concept is too technical, if not
\ntechnocratic, an approach and only useful as a stop gap in
\nindustrialized societies,\" Kayam said.<\/p>\n
Kayam said people needed to stand still and ponder the meaning
\nof globalization before hastily committing to it.<\/p>\n
\"We have been left out for quite a while anyway,\" he said,
\nquoting Mahatma Gandhi's dictum of 'high thinking, plain living.'
\n(06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acknowledge-poor-labor-conditions-scholar-1447893297",
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