Dozens of Economic Census Enumerators in Semarang Resign
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEMARANG – The head of BPS Semarang City, Rudi Cahyono, has confirmed reports that dozens of data collectors involved in the 2026 Economic Census in his area have resigned. The reports emerged alongside issues of stalled wage payments to census partners in Semarang.
Rudi revealed that 30 data collectors in Semarang had resigned. “Actually, those 30 people did not resign all at once, not en masse. It really depended on each officer’s circumstances,” he said in an interview on Saturday (18/7/2026).
He claimed they resigned for reasons unrelated to internal issues. “Of those 30 people, actually 50 per cent, or 16 people, resigned because they were accepted into jobs,” he said.
The remainder had their own reasons. “Some resigned due to illness — five people were sick. Some had to care for their parents. Others were studying at university and could not manage their time,” Rudi said.
He explained that although they had already worked, those who resigned would not receive any honorarium. “Under the terms of the work agreement (SPK), if they withdraw, they do not receive an honorarium,” he said.
Because the 2026 Economic Census has a data collection deadline, Rudi said his office was promptly seeking replacements for the resigned data collectors. “That is so the work can continue,” he said.
The issue of dozens of Economic Census data collectors resigning in Semarang emerged alongside reported problems of stalled wages. However, Rudi claimed his office had made payments in accordance with the SPK terms. He also denied there had been any changes to the work contract agreed between BPS Semarang City and the data collection partners.
“We have not changed the payment mechanism. Everything still refers to the initial SPK,” Rudi said when asked about alleged changes to the work contract.
When asked about the SLS provisions in the SPK, Rudi said these were included in the workload that data collection partners had to complete.
“In the SPK, it is 40 per cent of the task burden. That burden covers the SLS and the assignments. So, if an officer is given, say, 10 SLS, then 40 per cent of that is four. If the total assignment is 1,000, then 40 per cent is 400,” he said.
“So the fulfilment referred to means having completed 40 per cent of the workload across those two components, namely the SLS and the assignments,” Rudi added.
According to a copy of the SPK obtained by Republika, the payment provisions in Article 8 paragraph (3) letter (a) do not explicitly mention SLS fulfilment. The article only states that the first instalment is paid after the data collection partner completes 40 per cent of the total workload.
Rudi believed the data collection partners had not fully understood the content of the article.
“Regarding this payment mechanism, we actually hold a weekly briefing every Friday. The payment procedures are also explained there. Perhaps this information has not yet been understood by our fellow officers,” he said.
He added that the disbursement process for officers’ payments also takes time. Rudi gave an example: if a data collection partner has completed 40 per cent of the workload, payment is not immediately made on 15 July 2026.
“Based on PMK Number 190/PMK.05/2012, the deadline for processing claims against the state is at most 17 working days after the right to claim arises,” Rudi said.
He revealed that the number of Economic Census 2026 officers coordinated by BPS Semarang City totals 1,437 people.