Indonesia's Unemployment Rate Reaches 7.28 million: BPS

KBRN, Jakarta: The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported that Indonesia's unemployment rate in February 2025 reached 7.28 million, an increase compared to 7.20 million in February 2024.

According to BPS data, the absolute number of unemployed individuals increased by approximately 80,000, as the labor force grew faster than job absorption.

"However, the Open Unemployment Rate (TPT) decreased from 4.82 percent in February 2024 to 4.76 percent in February 2025," BPS Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti said in her statement in Jakarta on Monday May 5, 2025, as reported by rri.co.id.

BPS data also indicates that in February 2025, the working-age population reached 153.05 million. The increase in the labor force was quite significant, reaching 3.67 million.

Meanwhile, the workforce absorption, or the number of employed individuals, reached 145.77 million. "The employment absorption rate stands at approximately 2.52 percent, higher than the 1.11 percent increase in unemployment," explained Amalia.

In February 2025, there was also an increase in the proportion of informal workers to 59.40 percent. In February 2024, the proportion of formal workers was recorded at 59.17 percent.

The BPS report also noted that over the past year, 3.59 million people have entered the labor market. The three sectors with the largest increase in employment were trade, agriculture, and manufacturing.

The trade sector saw the largest increase in employment, with an addition of 980,000 workers. The agricultural sector added 890,000 workers, and the manufacturing sector added 720,000 workers. ***