Government boosts textile industry to create jobs

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is encouraging the textile and textile products industry, as well as the footwear sector, to grow more rapidly in order to create massive employment opportunities.

Met at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, the Head of the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Agency (BP BUMN), Dony Oskaria, stated that the textile and footwear industries are labour-intensive sectors with great potential for job creation.

“The President also wants this industry to grow quickly so that it can open up massive employment. This is a labour-intensive industry,” said Dony.

According to Dony, the government is currently discussing the necessary steps to create a healthy ecosystem so that the industry can flourish. He noted that the government observes several countries, including Vietnam, being able to record very rapid industrial growth.

Therefore, the government wants to ensure that the domestic industry can also grow competitively. “Because we see that Vietnam is growing very fast; those countries are growing very rapidly,” he added.

Dony stated that efforts to encourage industrial growth are not only related to increasing production. The government needs to consider various factors comprehensively, ranging from domestic market share and export opportunities to financing.

Furthermore, the government will also consider factory improvements and increasing workforce competence to ensure the national industry becomes more competitive.

“Of course, in our process of advancing the industry, all factors must be considered. We must look at market factors, domestic market mastery, export factors, and also financing factors,” Dony explained.

Dony noted that he could not yet detail the specific forms of policy the government will adopt to boost the textile and footwear industries. He mentioned that these steps will be discussed further after assessing the current conditions and the needs of the industry.