JAKARTA - Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Chairman Rosan Roeslaini said that investment in the manufacturing sector needs to be boosted to open more employment opportunities in the field.
“We should aim for labour intensive and export-oriented investments,” said Mr Roeslani as quoted by Bisnis.com, Tuesday (16/7).
With the development of the manufacturing industry, Mr Roeslani added, Indonesian exports will not be too reliant on commodities considering the declining prices of crude palm oil (CPO) and coal, Indonesia’s two flagship export commodities, as a result of the ongoing US-China trade war.
“Commodity prices are beyond our control, and lower prices mean lower exports. We need to shift to the manufacturing sector, compete with other countries, and get out of our comfort zone,” Mr Roeslani asserted.
According to Mr Roeslani, the productivity of Indonesian workers need to be improved while the government revises the Labour Law. He added that increasing wages for workers every year are often not worth their stagnant productivity. (MS)