Tackling youth unemployment through youth entrepreneurship

The promotion of youth employment is one of the most critical challenges Indonesia is facing today. Nearly 2 million Indonesian young women and men enter the labour market each year. Nationwide, Indonesia’s youth is six times more likely than adults to be without work, representing an alarming youth employment rate of 31%. As a result, the full potential of the majority of Indonesian youth is not being realized because they do not have access to productive jobs.

Press release | 14 April 2009

SURABAYA (ILO News): The promotion of youth employment is one of the most critical challenges Indonesia is facing today. Nearly 2 million Indonesian young women and men enter the labour market each year. Nationwide, Indonesia’s youth is six times more likely than adults to be without work, representing an alarming youth employment rate of 31%. As a result, the full potential of the majority of Indonesian youth is not being realized because they do not have access to productive jobs.

With a population of 35 million and a strong industrial base, East Java has been facing various labour problems, including youth unemployment. The youth unemployment rate in East Java is an alarming 33% - 40%, with the majority of unemployed youth attaining only an elementary school education.

To further discuss this issue, the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the JJFM 105.10 Surabaya, a leading radio station in East Java, will organize an interactive talkshow “Youth Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities for Young People”, on Thursday, 16 April 2009, at Drago La Brasserie, Surabaya, East Java. The talkshow will present Dra. Made Dewi Anggraeni, Msi (MDA) (Head of Provincial Small Enterprises Office in Malang), Samurai (Chair of Surabaya Entrepreneur Club) and Rolly Damayanti (the ILO’s Programme Coordinator).

The talkshow aims to raise the awareness about youth entrepreneurship as an employment option that can be chosen by young women and men to generate income and decent employment. It also aims to provide an interactive discussion for participants to share and discuss issues related to opportunities and challenges for young women and men to start a sustainable business. In addition, the discussion will talk about the roles of government, non-government organization and community in creating conducive environment and in supporting services for youth business start up.

The talkshow will be followed by a National Conference on Youth Employment, “Promoting Youth Employment: It is Everybody’s Business” in Jakarta, from 23 – 24 April. Held in conjunction with the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the ILO, the Conference is targeted to policy makers and practitioners, aiming to facilitate the government planning process by identifying how important youth issues and lessons from other countries can be incorporated into the country’s Medium Term Development Plan.

The conference will also bring together national and provincial governments, together with social partners, and identify how they can work together to develop effective strategies for tackling the problem of growing youth unemployment.

For further information please contact:

Gita Lingga
Communications Officer
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Email