Jakarta (ANTARA) – More than 2.81 million people, segregated into six batches, obtained funding assistance under the pre-employment card program during the first semester of 2021, special staff of the Economic Affairs Coordinating Ministry Raden Pardede stated.

Last year, the number of pre-employment card recipients had reached 5.9 million divided into 11 batches, Pardede noted during an online discussion here on Wednesday.

In total, 65.1 million people from 514 districts and cities in 34 provinces had registered for pre-employment cards last year, he remarked.

“During the pandemic, as part of the national economic recovery and social protection programs, the government had transformed the pre-employment card program into semi-social assistance, with 5.9 million recipients in 2020 and 2.8 million recipients in 2021,” he noted. Pardede stated that of the 2.81 million pre-employment card recipients in the first semester, 2.77 million had received training, 2.71 million had completed training, and 2.66 million had obtained incentives.

“In total, Rp5.59 trillion incentives had been distributed,” he remarked.

Under the endeavors to strengthen the fundamentals of micro and small businesses, the government integrated the pre-employment card program with the smallholder business credit (KUR) program.

Through the funding assistance, graduates of the pre-employment card program on completion of training can run productive businesses through integration of the KUR program.

“To develop sustainable productive businesses, we are optimistic that the integration would have a positive impact on the creation of job opportunities,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News