Purbaya: 6.7% Growth Needed for All Fresh Graduates to Find Work

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa believes the government needs rapid economic growth so that more jobs can absorb Indonesia’s labour force. He said the ideal economic growth rate is 6.7% so that all residents newly entering working age, or fresh graduates, can be absorbed into employment. “So according to our calculations, to absorb the labour force entering working age, we need to grow 6.7%,” Purbaya said at his office in Jakarta on Friday (28/8/2026).

Purbaya considers Indonesia’s current economic growth rate to still be far below the ideal target for labour absorption. In Q1 2026, Indonesia’s economic growth was only 5.61%, and in Q2 2026 it reached 5.29%. “Now we are below that, so there are still those who are not visible because they are not absorbed. Especially those who have been unemployed for a long time. So we really must grow faster to absorb them into the workplace,” he explained.

To realise that economic growth rate, Purbaya believes there is no other way than optimising the government’s fiscal role, supported by accommodative monetary policy and a conducive business climate. “The way is that I must work harder, and ensure fiscal and monetary policies run in harmony. All obstacles must truly be removed,” Purbaya stressed.

Based on data from Indonesia’s Employment Structure for May 2026 recorded by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of working-age residents in Indonesia was 220.23 million people, an increase of 689,000 new working-age residents compared to February 2026. Of the total working-age population, the labour force numbered 155.41 million people, an increase of 497,000 people. This consisted of 148.19 million employed people, an increase of 522,000 people, and 7.22 million unemployed people, a decrease of 24,000 people.