JakartaPost-July 23
The Manpower Ministry has logged a 32.1 percent jump in layoffs in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, mainly concentrated in the manufacturing, retail and mining industries. A total of 42,385 workers were laid off in the six months between January and June, up from 32,064 during the same period in 2024, according to figures published on government’s Satu Data portal. While the ministry’s figures do not present a complete picture of hiring and firing in the country, where the informal sector contributes a large part to national economic activity, they are watched as an indicator of employment trends in various industries. Manpower Minister Yassierli attributed the layoff surge to multiple factors, including weaker demand, production cuts, business model shifts and internal corporate problems. “I have been saying there are many causes of layoffs,” Yassierli told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.com. “That’s because some industries are experiencing a market downturn, some companies have shifted their business models, and in some cases there are internal issues, including industrial relations and so on,” he said.
Anwar Sanusi, head of the ministry’s planning and development agency, said the sharp rise was due in part to mass layoffs at several companies at the beginning of the year. Despite the annual increase, he noted a significant improvement in the month-to-month (mtm) figure, which logged a 65 percent decline from 4,702 workers in May to 1,609 in June. Read more: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2025/07/23/layoffs-surge-in-manufacturing-retail-govt-data-suggest.html
