Indonesia's Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly in August 2013
Indonesia's unemployment rate rose slightly in August 2013 from the same month last year. The country's open unemployment rate rose from 6.14 percent to 6.25 percent (of the total labour force). In absolute numbers this translates to 7.4 million jobless Indonesians. Head of Statistics Indonesia, Suryamin, said that Indonesia's slowing economic growth was the main reason for the rise in unemployment, while the supply of human resources increased. In the third quarter of 2013, Indonesia's GDP growth fell to 5.62 percent (yoy).
Yesterday (06/11), Statistics Indonesia (BPS), a non-departmental government agency, announced the latest unemployment figures. The agency updates the country's unemployment rate twice per year, using February and August as reference points.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013¹ | |
| Labor Force | 116,527,546 | 119,399,375 | 118,040,000 | 118,190,000 |
| - Working | 108,207,767 | 111,281,744 | 110,800,000 | 110,800,000 |
| - Unemployed | 8,319,779 | 8,117,631 | 7,240,000 | 7,390,000 |
¹ data from August 2013
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Unemployment (percentage of total labor force) |
10.3 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 6.3 |
Source: Statistics Indonesia (BPS)
The number of workers in Indonesia's agriculture sector fell from 38.9 million to 38.1 million, while the number of workers in the industry sector fell from 24 million to 22.8 million. In the services sector, however, the number of workers increased from 47.9 million to 49.9 million. The table below indicates the top four sectors that absorbed Indonesia's workforce in recent years. The numbers represent percentages of the total Indonesian workforce.
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013¹ | |
| Agriculture | 42.5 | 38.9 | 38.1 |
| Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Restaurants and Hotels |
23.2 | 23.2 | 23.7 |
| Community, Social and Personal Services |
17.0 | 17.1 | 18.2 |
| Manufacturing Industry | 13.7 | 15.4 | 14.9 |
¹ data from August 2013
Source: Statistics Indonesia (BPS)
Unemployment is highest for graduates of vocational schools (11.2 percent), followed by highschool graduates (9.7 percent) and primary school graduates (3.51 percent).
Click here to read a more detailed overview of unemployment in Indonesia