Solo's Unemployment Rate Under Gibran's Leadership: How High is Central Java's?

Central Java Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the open unemployment rate (OUR) in the province reached 5.57% of its workforce in 2022. This figure is down from 5.95% in 2021.

BPS Central Java detailed the proportion of OUR by regency/city of origin. Of the 37 regencies/cities in Central Java, Surakarta or Solo ranked 14th with an OUR of 5.83% in 2022. This figure is down from 7.85% in 2021.

This achievement is below the performance of Gibran Rakabuming Raka as Mayor of Surakarta. The 2022 OUR breakdown shows 7.23% for males and 4.08% for females.

BPS Surakarta states that this figure indicates that out of every 100 people in the workforce, about 6 are unemployed or not absorbed into the job market.

"The lower the OUR, the better the labor market, meaning the job market absorbs more of the available workforce, and vice versa," said BPS.

Surakarta's workforce reached 288,777 people, comprising 160,941 male and 127,836 female workers.

Meanwhile, Tegal Regency had the highest OUR in Central Java, at 9.64% in 2022. This figure decreased from 9.97% in 2021.

This is followed by Cilacap Regency (9.62%); Brebes Regency (9.48%); Semarang City (7.60%); and Kendal Regency (7.34%). These are the top 5 regencies/cities with the highest OUR in Central Java.

Conversely, Rembang Regency had the lowest OUR, at 1.76%. This is followed by Wonogiri Regency (1.95%); Sukoharjo Regency (2.47%); Temanggung Regency (2.54%); and Kudus Regency (3.21%).

Gibran Rakabuming Raka is a relatively new politician. Under the PDI-P party, Gibran began his political career in 2019, ahead of the regional elections (Pilkada) in Solo or Surakarta. Before entering politics, he was a businessman.

Gibran quickly won the 2020 Pilkada with his running mate, Teguh Prakosa. According to Katadata, Teguh is a former chairman of the city's Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD).

Despite being a newcomer, Gibran's influence is considerable. The son of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) won the election with 86.5% of the vote. His opponent was the independent candidate pair Bagyo Wahyono and Suparjo Fransiskus Xaverius, who received 13.5% of the vote.

Gibran was inaugurated as Mayor of Surakarta in February 2021. He is now being considered as the running mate for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 Presidential Election. Prabowo and Gibran plan to register their candidacy with the General Election Commission (KPU) on the last day of registration, Wednesday, October 25, 2023.