Prabowo Doesn't Discuss Job Creation In Financial Notes, CSIS: It's Been Weak For A Long Time

Officers checked the completeness of job seeker files during a job exchange in Tangerang City, Banten, Wednesday (23/4/2025). (ANTARA PHOTO)

JAKARTA - The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) regrets that the issue of job creation is not discussed in the Financial Note and RAPBN 2026.

Researcher from the Department of Economics CSIS Riandy Laksono assessed that the government should pay serious attention to the issue of job creation because it is believed to increase Indonesia's economic growth.

"Indeed, the issue of job creation has been weak for a long time and this has not become a concern in the RAPBN or state speech which is the direction of policy (government) in the future," said Riandy in a media briefing entitled RAPBN 2026: Considering Political Promises in the Middle of Fiscal Restrictions, monitored online, Monday, August 18.

Moreover, said Riandy, currently the manufacturing industry as the engine for creating major jobs has not really recovered since the Asian financial crisis (AFC) or the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.

The reason is, after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the growth of the Indonesian manufacturing industry was no longer able to grow double digits in the range of 10-12 percent.

"Why do we really want to highlight the issue of job creation? Because this is indeed a concern and is an issue on the ground right now, why? Because manufacturing as a machine for creating this main job has not really recovered since the Asian financial crisis (AFC)," he said.

According to Riandy, the growth of the manufacturing industry has not yet recovered, which has caused stagnation in Indonesia's economic growth in the last period.

"So, back in the manufacturing day becomes an economic snake growth (growth), double digits grow around 10-12 (percent). That's what causes our economy to grow and the application of a lot of labor. Now our manufacturing growth is no longer that fast, so economic growth is also slow," explained Riandy.

Riandy assessed that the government should pay more attention to the processing industry. The reason is, this sector is able to provide quite a lot of job opportunities compared to other sectors.

"Why is the processing industry again, because the manufacturing or processing industry is the number one quality job creator in Indonesia compared to other sectors if we can aggregate in small amounts," explained Riandy.

However, he continued, his party regretted that the issue of job creation was not a discussion conveyed by President Prabowo Subianto during a speech at the Financial Note and 2026 RAPBN recently.

"So, it can be understood why this job issue is becoming increasingly problematic right now," he concluded.