Rapid Growth of Digital Economy May Cause Disparity, Says Sri Mulyani
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23 March 2021 19:33 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Tuesday, March 23, said that the rapid growth of digital economy may cause income disparity and create a large gap between skilled and higher-educated demographic and those with lower level education.
“The income disparity could likely happen. And it's a warning for myself as a Finance Minister. But on the other hand, digital technology creates an implication,” said Sri Mulyani in the discussion held by Katadata on March 23.
She believes the government must take decisions and policies to strengthen the human resources and digital infrastructure from the fiscal aspect that could minimize the effects of technological disruption.
As of 2021, Indonesia’s State Budget instruments will be focused on the developments of infrastructure, including BTS networks and penetration of information technology systems.
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the rate of the digital transformation at a speed that has never been seen before, especially after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the global pandemic and pushed governments to impose social restrictions.
At the time, businesses, education institutions, and many more organizations suddenly depended on technology. Therefore, Sri Mulyani believes that conventional markets will quickly adapt to digital sales through e-commerce platforms, which saw a nine-fold increase from 2015 to 2020.
Read: Indonesia Poverty Level Below World Bank Prediction, Says Sri Mulyani
FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA
