Abstract
Poverty remains a strategic development issue in Singkawang City. Although the poverty rate declined to 4.28 percent, or approximately 10.36 thousand people, in 2025, this improvement has not been fully accompanied by inclusive gains in community welfare. The relatively high open unemployment rate, low labor force participation, and limited opportunities for productive employment indicate that regional economic growth has not yet fully generated adequate employment opportunities. This working paper aims to analyze labor-related factors associated with poverty and formulate policy alternatives to accelerate poverty reduction in Singkawang City. The study employs an evidence-based policy approach using secondary data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), regional development planning documents, and relevant regulations. The analysis applies the Urgency, Seriousness, and Growth (USG) method and the Theory of Change (ToC). The findings indicate that poverty is closely associated with a mismatch between workforce competencies and business-sector needs, limited formal job creation, low levels of labor-intensive investment, suboptimal MSME development, and fragmented poverty alleviation data. Based on these findings, three main policy directions are proposed: revitalizing vocational education and industry-oriented job training; strengthening MSMEs through capacity building and improved access to financing; and expanding labor-intensive investment supported by stronger poverty data governance. These policy directions are intended to expand productive employment opportunities, strengthen the local economy, and promote sustainable poverty reduction in Singkawang City.