Prabowo Calls Indonesia's Unemployment Rate Down, KSBSI: Perhaps That's The Government's Version

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto claims that the absolute poverty rate and unemployment in Indonesia have decreased.

The former Minister of Defense said, based on the latest data reported by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) to him, the absolute poverty rate and unemployment decreased.

Unfortunately, the Head of State did not specify the reduction in poverty and unemployment.

"The head of BPS reported to me that the unemployment rate has decreased, the absolute poverty rate has decreased. This is BPS who talks," Prabowo said as quoted from the Indonesian Solidarity Party's YouTube channel, Tuesday, July 22.

Related to this, the Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Unions (KSBSI) assessed that the decline in the unemployment rate was based on the calculation of workers who are now turning to the informal sector.

"Perhaps, yes, the version is the government. Maybe some of them work as informals, so they are considered not unemployed," said KSBSI President Elly Rosita Silaban when met by VOI after a Media Lunch event entitled "Industrial Decarbonization and Labor Challenges in Adapting the World of Work" in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 22.

"Meanwhile, this informal, right, there are many categories. Right, there are informals, for example I am the boss of a coffee trader, then employs people. Right, I (can be said to be) a businessman and many of them also change like in those jobs," he continued.

Elly did not deny that the number of unemployed has continued to increase in recent months, especially in the labor-intensive sector. However, he also appreciated the government's statement that the number of unemployed in Indonesia had fallen.

"Yesterday I heard and read also his statement (President Prabowo) and we also did, yes, this is also good when there is a government statement. That means, right, we will see it directly in the field, which field," he said.

He admitted that his party did not have data on the number of unemployed during the last three months. It's just that, said Elly, his party noted, there were around 100,000 workers who were affected by the Termination of Work Relations (PHK) during the period June 2024-April 2025.

"Yes, hopefully (the unemployment rate has really dropped), maybe the period in the last few months has decreased. Indeed, we haven't had data in the last three months, but we only have data until April (2025) that there are indeed around 100,000 (workforce) in-PHK," he said.

Furthermore, Elly hopes that the data or statements submitted by the government are true. The reason, he considered, so far the data submitted by the government is much different from the reality on the ground.

"We don't actually have any data yet. Because sometimes, right, the government always gives opinions about reducing unemployment, like that. But (the data is usually always different," he concluded.

As for the BPS report in May 2025, Indonesia's open unemployment rate (TPT) fell to 4.76 percent in February 2025, down 0.06 percent compared to February 2024.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's poverty data in the BPS report in May 2025 showed Indonesia's poverty rate as of September 2024 was 8.57 percent or around 24.08 million people, a decrease of 0.46 percent from May 2024.