BKN Chief Clarifies: 2,722 Civil Servant Resignations Mostly Status Transfers, Not Mass Exodus
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) Zudan Arif Fakrulloh has spoken out regarding circulating reports that 2,722 civil servants (ASN) resigned during the first half of 2026.
The issue emerged after Commission II member of the House of Representatives from the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, Ali Ahmad, claimed to have received information that 2,722 civil servants had submitted resignations during the first six months of this year.
Zudan explained that the figure of 2,722 resigning civil servants does exist. However, the majority had merely changed their employment status, namely from part-time government employees (PPPK Paruh Waktu) to full-time government employees (PPPK Penuh Waktu), meaning their status remained as civil servants.
“So they are not categorised as having resigned from the civil service,” Zudan said in a statement to CNBC Indonesia on Thursday (13/8/2026).
Zudan stated that at least 1,147 of the 2,722 who resigned had changed their employment status.
“Under the regulations, the 1,147 individuals transitioning from part-time to full-time government employee status are required to go through a resignation process at their previous agency before taking up duties at a new one, but their employment status remains that of a civil servant,” he stressed.
Regarding the 962 civil servants categorised as taking early retirement, whose retirement decree documents were only issued in the first half of 2026, Zudan considered this to be normal.
He explained that this was reasonable because their period of service was deemed sufficient, entitling them to pension rights.
Meanwhile, the total number who genuinely decided they no longer wished to work as civil servants was only 384 people, equivalent to 14.10 percent of the 2,722 said to have resigned.
Zudan said these 384 individuals truly left the civil service without pension rights, comprising 233 civil servants and 151 candidate civil servants.
According to him, the reasons given by civil servants who resigned without yet being entitled to a pension varied, including family matters, a desire to focus on other fields or jobs, work locations considered too far away, illness, and a wish to develop their own businesses.
“But most importantly, we at BKN are correcting the perception that the majority of cases were purely due to changes in employment status and having met the requirements for retirement. This is entirely normal under Indonesian civil service law,” Zudan concluded.