Indonesia Loses Rp463 Trillion Due to Mental Health Issues, Japan and Australia Already Taking Action
Mental health issues in the workplace are increasingly under scrutiny. Grace Wangge from Monash University, in an article titled ‘Indonesia Loses Rp463 Trillion Due to Workers’ Mental Problems’, highlighted that this issue is not confined to healthcare workers. Various sectors in Indonesia face similar risks, particularly those involving long working hours, high workloads, and lengthy commutes.
A recent viral case involved a 27-year-old junior doctor in East Nusa Tenggara who died by suicide at the end of June, allegedly after experiencing depression due to intimidation from a patient’s family. This case adds to the list of medical professionals suffering from psychological pressure due to high job demands. The financial sector is also vulnerable, with 20-50% of workers at risk of mental exhaustion and reduced motivation, a risk that is 2.5 times higher for those under 40.
Research conducted in 2025 on 5,828 adult respondents found that mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression cause workers to lose more than three months of effective work time annually. Affected workers were absent for an average of 34 days per year, and their productivity while at work dropped by up to 51%. Beyond lost productivity, workers also incur treatment costs of around Rp2.1 million per year for consultations and medication. The economic loss from absenteeism is estimated at Rp5.1 million per worker annually, while presenteeism costs approximately Rp11 million per year. The study also showed that nearly one in five workers exhibiting symptoms of mental disorders eventually lost their jobs.
Nationally, the economic impact is estimated at Rp463 trillion per year, with 88.5% of the loss stemming from reduced productivity rather than healthcare costs. Triggers for workplace mental health issues include excessive working hours, long commutes, and minimal workplace support. Although regulations stipulate a maximum 40-hour work week, the 2025 National Labour Force Survey showed about 25.47% of Indonesian workers clock over 49 hours weekly. Commuter stress is particularly acute in Greater Jakarta, where 69.5% of commuters report negative experiences from traffic congestion, and five out of six commuter workers experience stress and fatigue affecting family relationships.
Workplace mental health support remains limited, with counselling services and mental health leave not yet common practice. Consequently, although around 14.7% of workers show symptoms of anxiety and depression, about 60% have never received a professional diagnosis or treatment. The government has acknowledged the issue, with the Ministry of Health expanding mental health services for resident doctors and preparing regulations for medical personnel protection. However, these efforts are often reactive, emerging only after publicised cases.
Several countries have adopted more preventive approaches. Since 2015, Japan has required companies with more than 50 employees to conduct annual psychosocial stress screenings. Australia has implemented mental health training for managers, which has proven effective in reducing sick leave and saving operational costs. In Indonesia, mental health screening is regulated under the Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 5 of 2018 within the Occupational Safety and Health framework, but implementation remains inconsistent. There are also calls for the government to clarify the status of work-related mental disorders as occupational diseases, a move that would allow treatment costs to be covered by the BPJS Employment insurance scheme.