Banjarmasin City Has the Highest Open Unemployment Rate in South Kalimantan

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the Open Unemployment Rate (OUR) in South Kalimantan Province was 4.95% in August 2021. This means that out of 100 people in the workforce, about five were unemployed. Compared to the same period last year, the August 2021 OUR increased by 0.21 percentage points.

By regency/city, the highest OUR was recorded in Banjarmasin City, at 8.47%, followed by Tanah Bumbu Regency at 6.83%. The lowest OUR was in Balangan Regency, at 2.44%.

Based on the highest level of education completed, the OUR for Senior High School (SMA) graduates and equivalent was the highest compared to other education levels, at 8.8%. Meanwhile, the lowest OUR was among those who completed primary school (SD) or less, reaching 2.78%.

BPS also noted that there were 4,855 unemployed individuals due to the Covid-19 pandemic and 6,819 people classified as Not in the Labor Force (NILF). Furthermore, 21,863 people were temporarily not working, and 244,617 experienced reduced working hours due to the pandemic.

For information, the OUR for all provinces in the Kalimantan region remained below the national OUR (6.49%), except for East Kalimantan Province (6.82%). South Kalimantan's OUR was the third lowest in the Kalimantan region.