Agriculture, trade, and manufacturing drive job growth in Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The sectors of agriculture, trade, and manufacturing were the largest contributors to employment growth in Indonesia in August 2025, compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).BPS Deputy for Balance and Statistical Analysis, Moh Edy Mahmud, reported that nearly all sectors saw an increase in the number of workers, except for other services, mining and excavation, financial and insurance activities, and real estate.”The three sectors that absorbed the most labor were agriculture, trade, and manufacturing,” Edy said in Jakarta on Wednesday.In August 2025, the agriculture sector accounted for 28.15% of total employment, while trade and manufacturing contributed 18.73% and 13.86%, respectively.Edy explained that between August 2024 and August 2025, the agriculture sector saw an increase of 0.49 million workers, the accommodation and food services sector added 0.42 million, and manufacturing grew by 0.30 million workers.BPS also noted that, out of the 146.54 million people employed in Indonesia, 38.74% were categorized as wage workers or employees. Compared to the previous year, the number of wage workers saw the largest increase, with an additional 0.65 million individuals.Conversely, the number of family workers declined by the largest margin, with a decrease of 0.30 million people in the past year.In line with the rise in wage workers, the proportion of formal workers in Indonesia grew to approximately 42.20% of the total workforce as of August 2025.Regarding educational attainment, 13.06% of the employed population held a tertiary education or diploma and above as of August 2025. Meanwhile, 34.75% of the workforce had only completed elementary school or below, indicating that low-educated workers still dominate Indonesia’s labor market.“When compared to August of the previous year, the proportion of workers with lower educational levels (elementary school or below) decreased, while the share of those with higher education (diploma or above) increased,” Edy explained.