More Indonesians Commuting Long Distances, Overwhelmingly by Private Vehicle

The number of commuter workers in Indonesia has increased, according to the latest National Labour Force Survey (Sakernas) for May 2026. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) defines commuter workers as those who work outside the regency or city where they live and routinely travel to and from their residence on the same day. The latest BPS data recorded 7.74 million commuter workers, equivalent to 5.23% of the total 148.19 million working population. This figure rose by approximately 0.36% compared to the February 2026 Sakernas, which recorded 7.19 million commuters, or 4.87% of the 147.67 million working population at that time. The majority of commuter workers in May 2026 were male, accounting for 70.63%, an increase of 1.14 percentage points from February 2026. By educational attainment, the largest groups were graduates with Diploma IV, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degrees (26.98%), followed by senior high school graduates (24.62%) and vocational high school graduates (20.70%). The sharpest increase was among commuters with Diploma I/II/III qualifications, rising by 2.76 percentage points. In terms of formal or informal activity based on employment status, most commuters worked in formal activities at 81.98%, though this represented a 0.46 percentage point decrease from February 2026. To support their mobility, the overwhelming majority of commuters used private or company vehicles, with the share reaching 92.18% in May 2026, up from 89.84% in February. Meanwhile, the proportion using public transport fell to 5.96% from 7.35%, and those using online transport services dropped to 1.07% from 1.37%.