"The pandemic that has occurred so far has caused an increase in the number of unemployed to 9.7 million people with an open unemployment rate (TPT) reaching 7.07 percent in Indonesia," said Menaker Ida when he was the keynote speaker at the Launching of the Results of Covid-19 Impact Analysis on Expanding Opportunities. Work and Its Implications, Tuesday (11/24/2020).

Translated from https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/4416534/menaker-jumlah-pengangguran-naik-jadi-97-juta-orang-akibat-pandemi-covid-19

The very high number of unemployed has an impact on economic turnover. There are many companies close their operation because they are dependent to imported raw materials like textile industries. Indonesia in the 70s and 80s was agrarian country. The government at that time under the President Soeharto enjoyed the high production of food like rice, soybean, vegetable oil and vegetables. He built hundreds infrastructures for farming like dams to supply water to farming lands. There are three times of harvesting in the era in a year. The government also subsidized fertilizers to farmers. In 70s to 80s was the glory of farming in Indonesia.

This is how Indonesian young people in queue for job application. Source Egsa Ugm

Since reformation, the orientation of development has changed. The government turn to be industrial countries. There are many factories built in Java. West Java and Jakarta are the central of industrialization. There are many young people migrate to industrial are to work as labours. They are not interested anymore in farming. The population in West Java and Jakarta become so dense because urbanization. Now our country depends from import to supply some farming products like soy bean, rice, even vegetables.  

Covid crisis has hit industries. Some manufacturers stop their production and lay off their employees. 9.7 million unemployment is high rate of not working people. The economic will slow down. If the situation is getting worse in 2021, the number of unemployment will increase.