Bandar Lampung, Apr 14 (NNN-ANTARA) The government in 2008 will try to lower the unemployment rate in Indonesia to a single digit, as the number of the fully unemployed in the country had now reached 10.98 million.
"One way of dealing with unemployment, is to develop domestic investment," Secretary General of the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry Hari H Saleh said in Bandar Lampung on Friday night.
Opening a national working and consultative meeting of the Indonesian Businessmen`s Association (APINDO), he said that red tape is one of the factors which obstructs smooth investment, in addition to legal uncertainty and land problems.
Investment is not only the business of the central government and regional administrations, but of businesspeople and the public as workers as well.
"All are expected to share the same vision, avoid thinking of personal interest, and see that bylaws do not become counter-productive," he said.
He said further that the vast majority of human resources in Indonesia are elementary school graduates, and some even lower, while higher-level graduates mostly had general education, while most employment requires special skills gained from vocational schools.
In this context, he added, agreement had been reached by the manpower and transmigation ministry, the national education ministry, and the chamber of commerce and industry (Kadin) to reduce the wide gap between the world of education and employment opportunities.
In the meantime, Secretary of the Lampung Provincial Administration MS Joko Umar Said said that in 2005 and 2006 foreign and domestic investment in Lampung had been increasing significantly.
"In 2005, improved investment in Lampung reached Rp2.8 trillion which will have room enough for 3000 workers, while in 2006, the investment reached Rp5.25 trillion enough to provide employment to 10,000 people," he said.