East Kalimantan Unemployment Rises 6.83% in August 2021 Amidst Rising Impact of Covid-19

The number of employed people in East Kalimantan (Kaltim) decreased more significantly than the labor force due to the impact of Covid-19 in August 2021. This condition led to an increase in the open unemployment rate (OUR) in the province.

Kaltim's OUR rose by 0.02 percentage points to 6.83% of the total labor force in August 2021 compared to 6.81% in February 2021. Compared to August 2020, the OUR in the province decreased by 0.04 percentage points.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of people in the labor force in Kaltim decreased by 2.11% to 1.85 million in August 2021 from February 2021. Similarly, the number of employed people decreased by 2.14% to 1.72 million. Meanwhile, the unemployed population decreased by 1.77% to 126,190.

Meanwhile, the working-age population affected by Covid-19 totaled 301,190 or 10.68% of the total labor force in August 2021. This figure is higher than in February 2021, which was 293,800 or 10.51% of the total labor force.

There were 27,080 unemployed individuals due to Covid-19 in August 2021. There were also 9,850 individuals who were no longer part of the labor force, 20,090 temporarily unemployed, and 244,180 experiencing reduced working hours due to Covid-19.

(read: One-third of unemployed in Jakarta are SMK graduates in August 2021)