JK Highlights Many Graduates Become Ojol Drivers Due to Lack of Job Opportunities
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| The 10th and 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla highlighted the issue of many graduates becoming online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers. (Jusuf Kalla Archives) |
-- The 10th and 12th Vice Presidents Jusuf Kalla highlighted the number of graduates becoming online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers.
This happens because the Indonesian job market cannot absorb all university graduates.
Now 25 percent of online motorcycle taxi drivers have degrees. This shows an imbalance between the number of graduates and job opportunities, said JK during an Economic Workshop at Unhas, Monday (15/12).
He believes that Indonesia needs to reorganize its economic development strategy by focusing on the manufacturing industry, vocational education, job training and legal reform to be more supportive of job creation and sustainable growth.
The economy is not just about the stock market. Look at the people markets, that is where the real economic conditions are," he said.
According to JK, if a golden Indonesia is to be achieved, national income must increase fourfold in order to enter the category of high-income country.
Currently, Indonesia is in the middle-income country category with a per capita income of around US$5,000 to US$15,000.
If we want a golden Indonesia, then per capita income must be above US$15,000. This means our economy must increase by around four times from now, he said.
However, these efforts were hampered by economic policy errors, especially in the management of natural resources.
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| PHOTO: A Million Roses of Peace Action from Ojol at Monas |
JK believes that fiscal incentives such as tax holidays are actually given more to the mining sector, not to the manufacturing sector which has added value, employment and technology transfer.
Our biggest mistake was giving big incentives to the natural resources sector, such as nickel and coal. Even though these incentives should have been given to the manufacturing sector, he said.
He also criticized the downstream policy which was deemed not to have provided full benefits to society.
Meanwhile, he said, most of the nickel processing industry is controlled by foreign parties. At the same time, the state bears the environmental impacts and fiscal losses of these activities.
Economic growth does look high in mining areas, but that is not for the people. Taxes are minimal, the environment is damaged, and the profits are mostly taken out, he explained.