Predicting the unemployment rate using autoregressive integrated moving average

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this study is to predict unemployment in Indonesia in the wake of the demographic dividend. The sample used in this study is the unemployment data from 1990 to 2022 from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics database. Using non-seasonal ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) modeling, this study projected unemployment. It was predicted using six alternative models. With a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 9.56% (MAPE ≤10%), the predictions were quite accurate. It indicates that the ARIMA model has a good forecasting capability. According to the dynamic method’s unemployment projection, there will be less unemployment between 2023 and 2050. For Indonesia, maximizing the demographic dividend is both a challenge and an opportunity presented by the decline and stable number in unemployment. The demographic dividend will cause a substantial increase in employment and the creation of various new jobs. Several factors will support the demographic dividend. Thus, it could help governments to make decisions on labor issues. It also highlights a policymaker’s direction to pursue labor development, including employment trends.

Keywords

• Unemployment
• demographic dividend
• non-seasonal ARIMA
• Box-Jenkins methodology
• forecasting
• C53