Risma Help Unemployed Find Work, How?

Social Minister Tri Rismaharini/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, said his party was preparing an assistance program to reduce the unemployment rate. Through this program, the Ministry of Social Affairs will help the unemployed to access jobs.

Risma explained that this plan was motivated by the rising unemployment rate in the country. Moreover, this condition is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many employers to terminate their employment or layoffs.

The former mayor of Surabaya explained that the program is also in line with the government's desire to alleviate poverty.

Where the government targets the open unemployment rate to be at the level of 5.5 to 6.3 percent. Meanwhile, the poverty rate is in the range of 8.5 to 9.0 percent, with an emphasis on reducing extreme poverty.

Poverty alleviation continued Risma, can be achieved more quickly, one of which is by increasing people's income through providing access to jobs.

"Increasing income we do by providing access to jobs for beneficiaries who are not working", he said in a virtual press conference, Monday, August 16.

Unfortunately, there is no detailed description of the plan yet. However, Risma said that the categories that the Ministry of Social Affairs could assist were those that did not require special skills or expertise.

According to him, this will be more easily realized for companies or industries that need workers without having certain skills.

"So finding a job is indeed a bit difficult, but for the categories we help are those that do not require skills. So it is easier to find industries or companies to access jobs because special skills are not needed," he said.

Risma said there is a similar program that is also being prepared, namely Heroes of the Economy. Through this program, he wants to provide training for wives from underprivileged families to become entrepreneurs.

"We also empower people with disabilities, we make 600 3-wheeled vehicles which will be used later. Then the stick catches sensors in case of flooding, bad air. They use this to help their economy", he said.