Portrait of Full River City Economic Recovery Post Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has left scars for the national economy and Sungai Penuh. Since the government confirmed the appearance of the virus infection for the first time on March 2, 2020, national economic conditions have fallen to their lowest point because almost all provinces and regencies/cities have experienced a decline in economic growth rates. At that time, Sungai Penuh's economy contracted -0.16 percent, not as deep as the Jambi Province average of -0.44 percent. After a year had passed, the pandemic began to subside. The economy began to move up for the better. According to Kuswan Gunanto, Head of BPS for Sungai Penuh City, the economy of Sungai Penuh City grew by 3.67 percent compared to 2020. This figure is slightly higher than Jambi Province's economic growth of 3.66 percent. When the pandemic hit, many government efforts to survive. This is done by paying attention to the most potential economic sector in Sungai Penuh. This economic potential can be seen in the economic structure of the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP).

Potential business fields (which have the largest share of GRDP) in Sungai Penuh City are trade (29.87 percent), information and communication (14.81 percent), construction (11.11 percent), education services (9.94 percent) , and government administration (6.36 percent). The pandemic has made Sungai Penuh's economic structure slightly changed, the share of trade decreased from 29.31 percent in 2020 to 28.97 percent in 2021. While the share that increased significantly was the Construction sector (from 10.72 percent in 2020 to 11.11 percent in in 2021) and Financial Services (from 4.96 percent in 2020 to 5.22 percent in 2021). Construction increased significantly because people prefer to invest by building new houses due to limited trading activities due to restrictions on community activities. In addition, the government has made a lot of repairs to markets and village roads as a result of the village cash-intensive policy to accommodate those affected by layoffs in accordance with Sungai Penuh Mayor Regulation No. 13 of 2021.

The Financial Services business field has increased because people prefer to make non-cash transactions and buy goods online and start investing in shares/trading so they need banking services.

Apart from trade, another sector whose share declined was agriculture. The contribution of this sector decreased by 0.34 percent from 5.02 percent in 2020 to 4.68 percent in 2021. This was caused by various factors such as high rainfall causing flooded rice fields, the increasingly expensive prices of raw materials such as fertilizers and fertilizers. seeds, and the price of agricultural products is not good at the farmer level. The reopening of restrictions on economic activity in Sungai Penuh has led to an increase in people's purchasing power, although not yet significantly. Household consumption, which is one of the main pillars of Sungai Penuh's economic growth in 2021, contributed 44.53 percent, a slight increase compared to 2020 which was 44.41 percent.

Throughout 2021, many people began to actively work in various fields of work, which can be seen from the unemployment rate which fell from 2,494 people in 2020 to 1,331 people in 2021. The Village Cash Intensive Work Program is one of the activities in which the main activity is empowering rural communities, especially the poor and marginal, to participate in productive activities by prioritizing the use of local resources, labor and technology will also contribute to the decline in the unemployment rate in 2021. In terms of expenditure, the second largest percentage affecting the economy of Sungai Penuh City is PMTB. In 2021, PMTB's share of the economy of Sungai Penuh City is 25.91 percent. The PMTB share in t2021 is slightly larger than the PMTB share in 2020 which was 25.01 percent. PMTB is an expenditure for capital goods that have a service life of more than one year and are not consumer goods. This PMTB includes residential buildings, other buildings such as roads and bridges, as well as machinery and equipment. This increase in PMTB can be used as capital to produce more goods and services when the economy is booming again. Currently, Full River City is starting to revive its economy. Despite the busyness of working people, the government continues to assist in its main program of providing gradual vaccinations. The government also provides assistance to public places in the implementation of health protocols, namely 3M (Wearing Masks, Washing Hands and Keeping Distance). With this smooth economic mobility, it is hoped that by 2022 Sungai Penuh City can gradually improve its economy. (Jambi/BPS Data for Sungai Penuh City)