13 Thousand Textile Workers Have Been LAID Off, Minister Of Manpower: Open Unemployment Rate 4.8 Percent

Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziya (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The unemployment rate is predicted to increase after tens of thousands of workers from the textile and textile product (TPT) industry have been laid off or layoffs.

Since early 2024, 13,800 workers have been laid off. This figure is believed to be higher because there are workers who have not reported when they have been laid off.

The Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah said the open unemployment rate (TPT) in Indonesia until mid-2024 was at 4.8%.

"With the pressure of all global economic conditions, thank God we can survive when these other countries experience economic problems that are not easy, we are able to get through it. We have been shocked by our open unemployment rate. In 2020, our unemployment will be 7%," said Ida Fauziyah, Saturday, June 22.

He added that the decline in the unemployment rate reached 4.8% according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and occurred when he served as minister of manpower.

"We are grateful that our unemployment has decreased but we are not satisfied with the decline in our unemployment rate. If we figure out the number of our unemployment, it is still at 7.2 million, meaning it is still large. We are not satisfied with this figure, we want to reduce that number to the natural unemployment rate," he said.

According to Ida Fauziyah, the current natural unemployment rate is at 4%. Natural unemployment, such as illness, cannot work and with other natural causes.

"Now that we are at 4.8%, our figure is very close to the natural unemployment rate. We will continue to make efforts to reduce our open unemployment rate," he explained.

Still said Ida Fauziyah, the presence of the Asy-Syarif Mitra Industri Vocational School is expected to be able to meet the needs of human resources to support the development of industrial estates, both in the Mojokerto area and other industrial areas in East Java.

"Hopefully the construction of Asy-Syarif Islamic Partnership School from the start with industry, namely hopefully there will be links and matches, so that SMK contributes human resources that have skills and competencies that suit industrial needs," he concluded.