MPR Deputy Speaker Urges 2026 Economic Census to Deliver Detailed, Comprehensive Data
Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) Lestari Moerdijat has asserted that the 2026 Economic Census (SE 2026) must be capable of producing detailed and comprehensive data. Only then, she argued, can policies to increase women’s participation in the economy be properly targeted.
“The 2026 Economic Census is a strategic opportunity to obtain detailed and comprehensive data as the basis for policies capable of increasing women’s participation in the economic sector,” Lestari said in a statement on Thursday (9 July 2026).
She added that the census must yield granular data so that decision-makers can use it as a foundation for policy-making. With detailed data, Lestari said, the resulting policies would not be generic but instead targeted and responsive to the obstacles women face. Without adequate data, she argued, efforts to promote economic equality for women would simply stand still.
“When we fight for women’s rights, we are in fact working to strengthen our nation’s civilisation. Today, women still confront structural and cultural ‘glass walls’ that hinder their access to decent jobs and strategic positions,” she stressed.
According to the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) as of February 2026, a wide gap persists. The female labour force participation rate (TPAK) stands at only around 56.63 per cent, while the figure for men is 84.40 per cent.
Lestari further highlighted that 61 per cent of working women are employed in the informal sector, which offers minimal protection and social security. A wage disparity also persists, with female workers earning an average of Rp2.80 million per month, lower than the Rp3.55 million earned by men.
According to Lestari, the 2026 Economic Census being conducted by BPS is a step forward, particularly as the programme also involves the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) to reach more women micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“We need more than merely counting the number of business actors. The census or surveys conducted must capture in detail the types of obstacles women face, whether that is the double burden, access to capital, financial literacy, or cultural stigma that limits their employment choices,” said the member of the NasDem Party’s Supreme Council.
Lestari said sharper data would help the government measure the effectiveness of existing programmes. She hopes the data from the 2026 Economic Census can serve as a foothold for achieving a better female labour force participation rate and fostering an inclusive and equitable economic ecosystem for all Indonesians.
“Data is the key. With detailed data, we can design affirmative policies that not only provide access to capital, but also mentoring, capacity-building and recognition of women’s economic contributions, which have long gone unseen,” she concluded.
For information, the 2026 Economic Census conducted by Statistics Indonesia runs from May to August 2026. Broadly, the initiative aims to collect and present baseline data on all business activities across Indonesia.