Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The creative economy sector should be developed as it employs about 10 percent of Indonesias total workforce, a businessman affirmed here on Monday.

"Creative economy contributes by employing 11,799,568 workers or 10.65 percent of Indonesias productive labor force, which reaches 110,808,154 workers," Chairman of the Young Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association-Jakarta Chapter Rama Datau noted.

Thus, the creative economy sector ranked fourth among the 10 economy sectors in absorbing workers in 2012, he pointed out.

The data released by the association revealed that the government has set a target to develop the creative industry sector by 10 percent this year and make it the third-largest contributor to Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP).

Currently, the creative economy sector ranks seventh out of the 10 economy sectors and contributes 6.9 percent of the countrys GDP or Rp573.89 trillion, he remarked.

Datau further added that the creative industry shares 10 percent of the total number of businesses in Indonesia as a result of its growth rate that reached one percent in the same period of time.

The country had 5.4 million units of creative industry in 2013 that absorbed 12 million employees and contributed Rp19 trillion or 5.72 percent of Indonesias foreign exchange, Datau revealed.

In the first half of this year, the Indonesian creative sector exports had reached Rp63.1 trillion or increased 7.27 percent over the same period last year.

President Joko Widodo had earlier stated that the government was formulating a body to carry out the development of the creative industry sector after taking a cue from the famous South Korean K-Pop industry.

The body would be under the presidents supervision, he noted.

Moreover, Joko Widodo also emphasized that the national creative industry has the capability and vast potential to be developed for global reach.

The president pointed out that the sub-sector of creative industries comprised animation, games, movies, fashion, and other cultural based industries.

"We have great powers, but they are not yet managed properly," he added.
(T.SDP-89/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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