Creative Economy Minister says young generation drives digital creative ecosystem

Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya has said that changes in the behaviour of the younger generation, particularly in how they consume information, are strengthening the digital creative economy ecosystem. “The creative economy is a sector very close to the younger generation; therefore, collaboration with digital platforms and creative media is important to strengthen this ecosystem,” he said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday. Riefky noted that based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), of the total 27.4 million creative economy workers, around 63 percent come from Gen Z and millennial groups, and 58 percent of them are women. According to him, the flexible and innovation-driven characteristics of the creative industry make this sector increasingly relevant to the preferences of young people who want to work according to their interests, creativity, and skills. This condition has also boosted the sector’s ability to absorb around 1 million to 1.5 million new workers each year. From an economic performance perspective, the creative economy sector is also showing a positive trend. In 2025, investment realisation in this sector reached 134 percent of the government’s target, contributing around 9.5 percent to total national investment. Meanwhile, the export value of the creative economy hit 120 percent of the target, contributing around 12 percent to total national exports. Nevertheless, the government believes the potential of the digital creative economy can still be enhanced. One way is through optimising digitally-based creative service exports, which have not yet been fully recorded, such as music, animation, design, architecture, game development, and various technology-based creative services. “Confidence in the creative economy sector continues to rise. However, there is still great potential that has not been fully tapped, especially digital creative service exports,” said Teuku Riefky. To strengthen the ecosystem, the Creative Economy Ministry is exploring collaboration with multiplatform digital media Kumparan. The cooperation is directed at strengthening creative economy literacy, promoting local works, developing young talent, and expanding market access through the use of various digital platforms. Kumparan Editor-in-Chief Ahmad Toriq said the transformation of content distribution through various digital platforms is an important part of reaching audiences dominated by the younger generation. As of June 2026, Kumparan’s cumulative content distribution through various digital channels generated around 900 million monthly views with an engagement rate of 0.24 percent. “This change is a challenge for us as well as an opportunity for the media industry. Although text content remains important, distribution through video, live streaming, and digital platforms has become an inseparable part of today’s media strategy,” said Ahmad Toriq. The collaboration between the government and digital media players is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of the national creative economy while making the younger generation the main driver of innovation and technology-based economic growth.