Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The number of unemployed in Indonesia so far has reached 8.32 million , President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a function to launch the National Entrepreneurial Movement (GKN) here, the President said to reduce the number of unemployed people, a national movement to develop the entrepreneurial spirit of the community was urgently needed.

On the occasion, the president explained that the number of unemployed persons was equivalent to 7.14 percent of the total 237.8 million population of the country.

The president said the data on the unemployed came from the Central Bureau of Statistics, and "thus it is not a lie."

According to the head of state, the government`s main focus was on creating job opportunities for the unemployed.

One of the opportunities for unemployed people was to become government employees but unfortunately the head of state said those sectors were unable to absorb all of them.

Therefore, the president asked the people to foster the entrepreneurial spirit to absorb laborers.

Indonesian State Minister for Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Sjarifuddin Hasan here Wednesday proclaimed the National Entrepreneurship Movement (GKN) in Indonesia.

"Today, the National Entrepreneurship Movement is started," Sjarifuddin said in the declaration which was attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.The program was aimed at creating more new entrepreneurs in Indonesia.

The Minister also said that the numbers of businessmen in Indonesia was only 0.24 percent of the total amount of population, whereas it needed at least two percent from the total numbers of population to be a developed country.

"Through the program, we expected we can raise the amount of entrepreneurs to be two percent at a minimum from the country`s total population," he said.

According to him, if the target could be achieved, the unemployed and poverty rates could be minimized and the people`s welfare raised. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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