The number of female employees and job seekers declined in the year to August 2009, the Central Statistics Agency's (BPS) Jakarta bureau announced Tuesday, at a rate not mirrored by male workers.

"The decrease in the number of working residents was dominated by women," said bureau head Agus Suherman.

The number of female workers decreased from more than 1,659,000 in August 2008 to around 1,605,000 in August this year, or a decrease of 54,000. The number of working men also decreased, albeit less sharply, by around 19,670, from 2,532,000 to 2,512,000 during the same period.

"The female labor force (and job seekers) decreased by 61,800, from around 1,916,000 in 2008 to around 1,854,000 in 2009," Agus said. The number of male workers and male job seekers also decreased, by more than 22,000, from 2,856,000 to 2,833,000 during the same period, he added.

The labor force is defined as residents above the age of 15 who are either working or looking for jobs. Those quitting their jobs and not applying for new ones are not included in the count.

Agus said the global economic crisis might be to blame for the drop. However, he added, more women might have chosen to remain jobless compared to the men.

"(The women) might have lost their jobs or experienced failure in their businesses, and so decided to become housewives or go to school instead," he said.

BPS Jakarta social statistics unit head Sri Santo Budi Muliatinah said most of the women exiting the job market were likely from the lower economic bracket. "Most of them probably worked in the informal sector," she said.

The statistics also revealed that the highest number of job seekers were vocational school graduates, amounting to 156,039 people. The number of job seeking high school graduates amounted to 146,198 people, while the number of job seekers with a university degree was 73,417.

Agus said that during the period from August 2008 to August 2009, several major companies had ceased operations or cut back on production due to the global downturn.

He added this was particularly true of companies dependent on imported goods for their production materials, which forced them into laying off workers. The weakened economy also had an impact on the informal sector, he said. (JP/dis)