Industries outside the oil and gas sector is a major contributor to the country`s economy and provides jobs for the people, Secretary General of the Industry Ministry Haris Munandar said here on Wednesday.
Haris said the manufacturing sector provides job for 14 percent of the total number of 124.5 million working people .
Other major sectors in term of the number of workers include food and beverage industry employing more than 3.3 million workers, automotive industry around 3 million, textile and textile product industry 2.73 million, wood and rattan based furniture industry 2.5 million .
Haris said labor is an important factor in economic development, adding, the quality of labor is among the main factors considered by prospective investors before making investment decision in the country.
He said Indonesian labor in the manufacturing industry is quite competitive as almost 60 percent of the workers already have certificate .
Based on data of Asian Productivity Organization (APO), the country`s workers are quite competitive in southeast Asia compared with the workers of a number of other Asean countries like the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Earlier, Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the government would boost development of export oriented labor intensive industry.
Airlangga said he had sought fiscal incentive for export oriented labor intensive industry in the form of income tax cut used for reinvestment.
"Tax allowance facility to be given to labor intensive industry is based on the number of jobs opened. We are discussing this with the finance ministry," he said.
(AS/a014)
(T.SYS/B/H-ASG/A014)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
