Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) reported that 42,385 workers were laid off between January and June 2025. The figures show a sharp 32.19% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The data was published on the government’s Satudata Kemnaker portal. Minister of Manpower Yassierli stated that one of the main drivers behind the layoffs was a weakening market and declining demand.
“The decline is due to market conditions. Some industries are seeing shrinking demand. Others are shifting their business models, while some are facing internal issues, including labor relations,” said Yassierli in a statement from Jakarta on Tuesday (July 22).
Yassierli noted that the ministry’s layoff data follows more detailed reporting standards, including breakdowns by province and industrial sector.
According to Satudata Kemnaker, the highest number of layoffs occurred in three provinces: Central Java with 10,995 workers, West Java with 9,494, and Banten with 4,267.
Anwar Sanusi, Head of the Manpower Planning and Development Agency, acknowledged that layoffs in 2025 have outpaced last year’s figures. The current total marks a significant jump from the 32,064 recorded between January and June 2024.
Anwar explained that the manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, as well as the mining and quarrying sectors were the top three contributors to the layoffs.
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He also noted that the wave of layoffs in 2025 was spiked in the early months of the year, though the trend showed a slight decline in June compared to the previous month.
“Although layoffs have generally been higher this year, there was a noticeable drop in June,” he said. Data from the ministry shows that layoffs in June fell by 65% to 1,609 workers, down from 4,702 in May.
Sanusi said the ministry is further investigating the fluctuating layoff trends to better understand other contributing factors. “We will look into this more deeply. There may be unresolved factors driving the current wave of layoffs,” he added.
(Raidi/Agung)
