Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - The tourism industry is the driving force of Bali`s economy which is able to provide job opportunities for locals as well as for those from other regions in Indonesia, a statistics official said.

"This condition causes Bali to become the target of job seekers from various regions in Indonesia where they speculate their fate on the island," said Head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) of Bali, Gede Suarsa in Denpasar, on Sunday.

He said this was reflected in the increasing population of Bali which was quite significant. The results of the 2010 population census showed a population growth rate of 2.14 percent in Bali in the last ten years.

In the 2000 census the population of Bali was only 3.15 million people. It rose to 3.89 million in the year 2010. Population growth is high due to the migration of residents from some parts of Indonesia.

"They are job seekers who tried their fortune in Bali, because they see many opportunities from the tourism sector," said Gede Suarsa.

These conditions affect the labor force which until February 2011 were recorded 2,295,574 million people, which were an increase of 178,602 people compared to the same month the previous year which were recorded only at 2,116,972 people.

While the total working population in Bali in February 2001, stood at 2,229,970 people or an increase of 188,633 people compared to the same month the previous year which was 2,041,337 people.

Thus the open unemployment in Bali reached 2.85 percent which declined by 3.57 percent within a year.

Almost all sectors in Bali had experience in the increase in the number of workers, except for two sectors namely agriculture and industry.

Workers in the agricultural sector decreased by 30,899 persons or 4.58 per cent and industrial sector by 13,410 people or 4.40 percent.

Gede Suarsa said there were four leading sectors as the main absorbers of labor in Bali, which consisted of agriculture, trade, social services and industrial sectors.(*)A014/H-NG

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011