KEK Targets 36,300 Workers by 2026, Six New Areas Waiting for Presidential Approval

JAKARTA - The Special Economic Zone (KEK) targets the absorption of labor to reach around 36,300 people throughout 2026.

Acting Secretary General of the National Council of KEK Rizal Edwin Manansang said the target includes various industrial sectors operating in special economic zones in various regions.

"The labor force target for this year, we have also received input from each BUPP, namely for 2026, for the provisional data as of March 2026, we hope to absorb as many as 36,300 workers for this year," he said in a Media Gathering, quoted Friday, March 13.

In addition to encouraging the increase in labor absorption, the National Council of KEK is also proposing the establishment of six new special economic zones and the proposal has gone through the verification stage and is now at the level of the country's leadership to get approval.

The six proposed KEKs are planned to be spread across a number of regions, namely Sulawesi, East Java, West Java, and Kalimantan.

Rizal explained that all administrative and technical stages had been completed, so that currently the process is only waiting for the final decision from President Prabowo Subianto.

"So, we are proposing that there will be 6 new KEK that will be inaugurated or approved by the President, all of which are now on the President's desk," he said.

In addition to the formation of new areas, the government is also processing development plans for existing SEZs, namely the Singhasari SEZ and the Nongsa Digital Park SEZ in Batam.

Rizal emphasized that every establishment of a KEK must pay attention to the social conditions of the community around the area so as not to cause unrest.

He added, so the proposal process must be accompanied by approval from the local government, relevant ministries or agencies, and the local community.

"So at the time of the proposal, we also require approval from the Regional Government, then also from the relevant Ministries/Institutions, and of course with the people around the KEK," he said.

However, Rizal has not revealed the names of the six areas and only provided an overview of the distribution of the areas and industrial sectors to be developed.

Meanwhile, two KEKs are planned to be in Kalimantan, one in Sulawesi, one in East Java, and two others in West Java.

"The industry, all industries are more towards the manufacturing industry, there are those related to the development of electric cars, then there are also those related to the development of smelters for coal, then for nickel, and then another one is the green energy industry," he said.