Vocational High School Graduates Dominate Open Unemployment Rate

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the open unemployment rate (OUR) occurs across all education levels. Based on education level, Vocational High School (SMK) graduates recorded the highest OUR at 8.63% in February 2019. This indicates an oversupply of labor that is not absorbed by the market.

This OUR figure for SMK graduates decreased by 29 basis points and 35 basis points compared to the February 2018 figure of 8.92% and the February 2017 figure of 9.27%, respectively. BPS Deputy for Social Statistics, Margo Yuwono, stated that the decrease in the OUR for SMK graduates is attributed to government programs that promote a link and match between SMK graduates and jobs in the industrial sector.

The lowest OUR percentage was recorded at the primary school (SD) level, at 2.65%. This low percentage from the primary school level suggests that individuals with lower levels of education tend to accept any available job.

(Read Databoks: [Open Unemployment Rate Highest in West Java](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2019/05/07/tingkat-pengangguran-terbuka-di-jawa-barat-paling-tinggi))