Airlangga assesses various business sectors are still expanding

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto assessed that various business sectors are still expanding, supported by investment realisation in the first quarter of 2026 that surpassed the government’s target. Airlangga said business actors naturally increase production capacity when they see opportunities to boost sales. “I believe that if there is an opportunity to increase production, entrepreneurs will naturally increase production, especially since entrepreneurs want to leverage, so higher sales are always what entrepreneurs hope for,” he said in Jakarta on Monday. Airlangga cited several economic zones and industrial estates that still show an expansion trend, including plans to expand the Gresik Special Economic Zone (KEK) in East Java to accommodate high investment interest and support the development of an integrated industrial and port ecosystem. Up to the first quarter of 2026, the zone recorded cumulative investment of Rp113.4 trillion, with investment after KEK designation reaching Rp108.2 trillion, an increase of more than 1,900 percent compared to before it held KEK status. In terms of employment, KEK Gresik has absorbed 45,860 workers, with more than 44,000 of those jobs created after the area was designated a KEK. Additionally, Airlangga mentioned that the occupancy rates of the Kendal and Batang KEKs are also approaching maximum capacity. “And I also see interest from the data centre sector, for example, there is additional demand of 1.32 GW or 1.2 GW that is ready to enter Indonesia,” he said. Nevertheless, Airlangga assessed that investment indicators and the high occupancy rates of several industrial estates show that business expansion activity is still ongoing. Data from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs shows that investment realisation in the first quarter of 2026 reached Rp498.79 trillion, exceeding the set target, with year-on-year growth of 7.22 percent. Employment absorption also increased to 706,569 people, up 18.93 percent year-on-year.