Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Lack of education and training has resulted in the sluggish expansion of job opportunities for women in Indonesia, experts say.
International Labour Organization (ILO) economic and labour market analysis technical officer Kazutoshi Chatani said women laborers are deprived of quality jobs. "It implies a lack of sufficient quality jobs, or so-called 'decent work', for women," Chatani told The Jakarta Post.
Citing the data, he said that the share of "vulnerable employment" among women in Indonesia reached 64.6 percent in 2009, higher than 54.6 percent in East Asia and 51.8 percent globally. Vulnerable employment among women in Southeast Asia reached 65.7 percent in 2009.
The participation rate of female labor workers in Indonesia reached only 51 percent in 2009, far lower than 66.5 percent in East Asia, 57.6 percent in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and 52.7 percent globally.
According to the ILO, decent work involves opportunities for employment that is productive and delivers fair income, workplace security and social protection for families.
The ILO is promoting productive employment by declaring Asian Decent Work Decade 2006-2015.
A new report titled "Women and Labor Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality", jointly prepared by the ILO and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), says that although Asia is helping to lead the global economy, recovery of the labor market from the recent global economic and financial crisis has not kept pace.
"In some developing countries, particularly in East Asia, job growth is back, but the quality of jobs being created is a major concern," the report says.
According to estimates from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, even before the crisis Asia was estimated to be losing US$42 billion to $47 billion a year because of limits on women's access to employment opportunities and another $16 billion to $30 billion a year as a result of gender gaps in education.
"Asia needs to address these challenges if it wishes to reap the social and economic benefits of gender equality," said ILO Asia-Pacific Regional Director Sachiko Yamamoto.
Chatani said Indonesia could generate more formal employment by improving its business environment. Improving infrastructure, public administration and education are important in ensuring that economic growth would be more inclusive and more focused on the needs of the poor.
"You don't have to depend too much on foreign business in creating employment here. Indonesia can focus on how best to enable people to create their own businesses," said Chatani.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) says that 61.8 percent of female workers found their means in the informal sector in 2010, adding that most live and work in poor conditions and lack social security coverage.
"The lack of employment opportunities in Indonesia results in an increasing number of overseas migrant workers, and most of them are female domestic workers," said Chatani.
National Commission on Violence Against Women advocate Agustinus Supriyanto said that most Indonesian women of productive working age are employed in the informal sector due to a lack of education and skills caused by economic difficulties.
"This problem is deeply rooted in poverty. Many women have little education and few skills due to their poor economic circumstances, whereas such education and skills are needed to boost their opportunities in finding decent work," he told the Post.
Ensuring proper access to education and training, especially for women from low-income families, would create more opportunities for better jobs, he added.