Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – Unemployment in Indonesia has become a highlighted topic in a report by the independent Qatari news channel, Al Jazeera. In its report on Friday, July 18, 2025, Al Jazeera cited Indonesian government statistics indicating that about 16 percent of Indonesia's 44 million young people (aged 15-24) are unemployed.
"More than double the youth unemployment rate of neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam," Al Jazeera stated in its report titled 'Indonesia has 44 million youths. It's struggling to get them jobs'.
Furthermore, Al Jazeera referenced a survey published in January 2025 by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, which found that young Indonesians are far more pessimistic about the economy and the government compared to their counterparts in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Only about 58 percent of young Indonesians expressed optimism regarding the government's economic plans, a figure considerably lower than the average youth optimism of 75 percent across the six countries surveyed.
Al Jazeera also drew attention to the 'Indonesia Gelap' (Dark Indonesia) hashtag, which spurred mass protests in February. The concerns of these demonstrators, primarily students, included protests against the government's proposed budget cuts for ministries and local governments.
Economists have identified several factors contributing to Indonesia's high youth unemployment rate, ranging from rigid labor laws to low wages that fail to attract skilled workers.
"Many people choose to be outside the labour market rather than having to work for a salary below expectations," economist Adinova Fauri from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta told Al Jazeera.
Amid this foreign media scrutiny, President Prabowo Subianto asserted that Indonesia's unemployment rate had, in fact, declined. He based this claim on the latest report from the Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, who also reported a decrease in the country's absolute poverty rate.
"The Head of BPS reported to me that the unemployment rate has decreased, and the absolute poverty rate has decreased. This is according to BPS," Prabowo stated at the closing of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Congress 2025 in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday, July 20, 2025.
Prabowo also addressed the 'Dark Indonesia' narrative. He accused the movement behind it of being funded by corrupt individuals seeking to foster pessimism within the nation.
"This is made up. This is funded by those who want Indonesia to always be in turmoil, Indonesia to always be poor. Yes, those corruptors fund those demonstrations. 'Dark Indonesia, Dark Indonesia.' Sorry, Indonesia is bright, Indonesia's future is bright," Prabowo declared.
Furthermore, Prabowo commented on the "Kabur Aja Dulu" (Just Run Away for Now) trend, which had also been widely discussed. He cautioned that migrating abroad is not as easy or appealing as some might imagine.
"Dark Indonesia, just run away. Just go. You think it will be easy for you there (abroad)? You'll be chased there, you know," the President added.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2031117/indonesia-unemployment-al-jazeeras-findings-vs-prabowos-claim