BPS Allocates IDR 2.4 Trillion for 2016 Economic Census

KATADATA - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has allocated a budget of IDR 2.4 trillion for the 2016 Economic Census. Most of this money goes to pay the IDR 1.02 billion monthly salary bill for the 340,000 temporary staff recruited for the census.

"More than 90 percent will be used to pay data collectors, supervisors, data processors, trainers, instructors, and other staff,"said Suryamin after a meeting on the 2016 Economic Census in his office, Jakarta, Friday (18/3). (Read: Demographic Bonus: Opportunity or Threat?)

Conducted every ten years, the census will provide an up-to-date picture of the country’s economic structure. The census will cover 16 business sectors outside the agricultural sector. Suryamin is optimistic that it will identify 24 million business types, up 10 percent from 22.7 million in 2006, and 16 million in 1996.

"This information will lay the ground work for more detailed research in early 2017,” said Suryamin. This information will help policy makers frame business regulations in the future.

The BPS expects to complete the data collection by May. According to Suryamin, the main challenge is finding business owners that are willing to be respondents, despite the guarantee that no personal data will be shared. (Read: 25 Thousand Foreign Workers Flood Indonesia in January Following AEC Implementation).