Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Foreign demand for skilled Indonesian labor in the services sector at the Indonesian Trade Expo (TEI) 2011 showed a 66-percent increase compared with the figure recorded at TEI 2010, a senior trade official said.

"Demand for Indonesian service sector workers rose 66 percent at this year`s expo. This means the user countries now also trust the capability of skilled Indonesian labor, not only that of our informal sector workers such as house maids," Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said here Tuesday.

Bayu said the increase was good news because it showed that the capability of skilled Indonesian workers was being increasingly recognized around the world.

He said TEI 2011 which took place in Jakarta on October 19- 23, 2011, had recorded transactions worth a total of 464.5 million US dollars, exceeding the target of 380 million US dollars.

The transactions were made in two different sectors, namely exports (226 million US dollars) and services (238.5 million US dollars).

Some 19 countries who applied their demands 14,993 skilled workers in service sector such as in the medical field / paramedic, construction workers, machinery / plant operators, and "hospitality".

"The biggest demands came from Australia are seeking for a lot of nurses," he said.

Furniture is recorded to be the most dominant commodity in the export product transaction composition with a market share of 40.8 percent.

Following after the furniture, agricultural products at 10.27 per cent, handicrafts 9.39 per cent, jewelry and accessories 7.76 per cent, textile and its products 5.61 per cent, cosmetic and herbal products at 4.89 per cent.

Other market shares under three per cent namely coffee at 2.6 per cent, food and beverages at 2.52 percent, wood products at 2.52 per cent and chemical products recorded at 1.81 percent.
(Uu.A050/HAJM/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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