Bali’s Employment Picture

(5/23/2011)

The agricultural sector continues to be the largest employer in Bali. Evidence, however, that farming as a profession is under threat is provided by the rapid diversion of arable lands away from agricultural pursuits to villa building and a resulting decline of 3.88% in farming jobs over the past year, duplicating a similar loss in farming jobs in 2010 as compared to 2009.

Statistics provided by the Bali Bureau of Statistics show 28.84% of all employment in Bali emanates from the farming sector

The next largest employment generator in Bali is "trade" which embraces accommodation provider and restaurants, the mainstays of Bali’s large tourist industry. The trade sector accounts for 27.81% of all jobs, only 1% behind agriculture. Suggesting that tourism will almost certainly overtake agriculture as the top job generator is the fact that while employment increased 31.13% in the trade category over last year, agricultural jobs declined 4.58% during the same period. If this trend continues, agriculture in Bali  will lose its top role as an employer in 2011.

The construction sector is booming in Bali, growing 47.88% in the past year reflected by the many construction cranes that dot Kuta’s skyline. Construction now creates 8.19% of all employment in Bali.

Registered unemployment figures released by the government for February 2011 indicate a 2.86% "open" unemployment rate, compared to 3.57% 12 months before.