Majority of the unemployed are young men: BPS<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The level of unemployment at the beginning of the second half of
\nthis year reached 8 million people, or 8.2 percent of the
\ncountry's 97.6 million labor force, the Central Bureau of
\nStatistics (BPS) said in its latest quarterly survey released on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Although the unemployment figure may seem low, BPS
\nacknowledged that the new data was "worrying" because 61 percent
\nof the unemployed were young men in the age range 15 to 24. This
\nage group is also liable to become involved in criminal activity.<\/p>\n
The bureau said that 34.5 percent of the unemployed were young
\nmen who were senior high school graduates.<\/p>\n
Marta, a senior high school graduate still looking for a job,
\nsaid that he was depressed by the current economic situation in
\nthe country, as employment even as a road cleaner was difficult
\nto obtain.<\/p>\n
"Six years ago, when I had just graduated from high school, I
\nwas expecting to get a job to help my impoverished family. But
\nuntil now it has just been a pipe dream," said Marta, who lives
\nin Pondok Aren, Tangerang.<\/p>\n
Marta's family could not afford to send him to college, as his
\nfather was only a retired low-ranking government employee.<\/p>\n
As unemployed people in Indonesia are not supported by
\ngovernment social welfare, Marta decided to make a living as a
\npart-time ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver in his neighborhood, as
\nhe still is.<\/p>\n
"I have to do something in order to survive. I don't expect
\nmuch for my future; all I can think of is whether I will eat or
\nnot tomorrow. I haven't given up hope of getting a proper job
\nthough," he said.<\/p>\n
The BPS survey sampled 18,132 households across the country.
\nDue to security and budgetary concerns, the survey excluded the
\nprovinces of Aceh, Maluku and Papua.<\/p>\n
BPS unemployment data refers to open unemployment, which the
\nbureau defines as the percentage of people categorized as part of
\nthe labor force who have no job and are actively seeking work.<\/p>\n
The labor force is defined by BPS as, "Persons aged 15 years
\nand over who, in the previous week, were working, temporarily
\nabsent from work but with a job, plus those who did not have work
\nand were looking for work."<\/p>\n
The survey was aimed at establishing an early warning system
\nfor the government to monitor the country's labor problems.<\/p>\n
Head of the labor evaluation and statistical section at BPS
\nYunita Rusanti said that the latest was the first quarterly
\nsurvey published, after it was stopped in 1994.<\/p>\n
"The survey was restarted on a recommendation from the
\nInternational Monetary Fund, which requires the country to keep
\nitself regularly updated on labor problems," said Yunita.<\/p>\n
After 1994 BPS produced the survey only once per year.<\/p>\n
Independent experts, however, estimated the country's
\nunemployment at more than 40 million by including the huge amount
\nof disguised unemployment, defined as the number of people in the
\nlabor force working less than 35 hours per week.<\/p>\n
An unemployment rate of 8 percent is seen as unrealistic
\nbecause that would mean it was lower than the rate in some
\nEuropean countries. It does not reflect the true extent of
\nunemployment in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Economists have said the ongoing economic and political
\ncrisis, which hit the country in the late 1990s, has caused many
\ncompanies to completely shut down or downsize, forcing many
\npeople out of work.<\/p>\n
They said that to absorb the huge number of job seekers, the
\ncountry's economy had to grow at precrisis levels, of around 6
\npercent to 7 percent per year. The government has planned for
\neconomic growth of only 4 percent this year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/majority-of-the-unemployed-are-young-men-bps-1447893297",
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