Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA) - Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya has invited the youth to explore economic opportunities in the creative industry in response to employment challenges ranging from difficulty finding jobs to layoffs.

On the sidelines of an event on digitalization and financial inclusion education organized by Gen Matic in Denpasar, Bali, on Saturday, he said that as per estimates, more than 50 percent of youngsters or workers aged under 40 wish to work in creative industry sectors.

The sectors include fashion, music, and games, among others.

He noted that in the last five years, around 1 million to 2.5 million people in the country have been engaged in digital technology-rich creative industries.

Young people can even highlight the uniqueness and creativity characteristic to Bali in developing the creative industry, he suggested.

The minister also encouraged the youth to utilize technology as creators, innovators, and digital entrepreneurs.

In addition, he asked creative industry players to remain consistent and learn from experience, including failure, when starting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the sector.

According to the Ministry of Creative Economy, there are 20 sub-sectors of the creative economy, including music, fine arts, fashion, film, and animation.

The ministry said that the added value of Indonesia’s creative economy in 2024 reached Rp1,502.7 trillion (approximately US$92.3 billion), up from Rp1,417.6 trillion (approximately US$87.1 billion) in 2023.

Meanwhile, worker absorption in the sector was estimated to have increased to 26.47 million in 2024 from 24.92 million in 2023.

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