“Start-ups play an essential role in job creation, welfare improvement, and sustainably contributing to the economy through their innovation," he observed here on Wednesday.
Hartarto made the statement at a press conference on the launch of a study by University of Indonesia's Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM UI) on the GoTo ecosystem's impact on the national economy in 2022.
Currently, Indonesia ranks 6th as the country with the highest number of start-ups in the world, with 2,506 start-ups that include 9 unicorns and 2 decacorns.
The value of Southeast Asia's digital economy is predicted to grow to US$1 trillion in 2030 from US$174 billion in 2021.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of new Internet users in the ASEAN region has increased by 60 million and the majority of them are from rural areas. Thus, the digital economy has become more inclusive.
"To date, Southeast Asia's online population has reached 440 million people. The number will continue to increase and is a potential that can be utilized, including by Indonesia," Hartarto highlighted.
Referring to the LPEM UI's study, he noted that 2022 was not an easy year because Indonesia was striving to recover and revive from the pandemic.
Nevertheless, Indonesia managed to get through with resilience amid global economic uncertainty, with tech giant GoTo being one of the companies that supported the country in the recovery period.
"I appreciate the contribution and real impact of GoTo on the national economy, especially in creating more jobs through the business of its micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) partners, reducing poverty, and reducing the income gap," the minister said.
He expressed optimism that GoTo would grow in line with Indonesia's digital economy, which is projected to grow to US$360 billion in 2030.
"I hope GoTo can continue present product and service innovations that are beneficial for its millions of driver partners, MSME partners, and consumers in Indonesia, as well as consistently transform MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem," he said.
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Translator: Sanya Dinda, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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