Authors: Nawfal Aulia Luthfurrahman, Nadya Zahra Prasetio, Rani Destia Wahyuningsih, Qisha Quarina

October 2025

Yogyakarta stands at the forefront of Indonesia’s ageing era where over 16% of its population is now aged 60 and above.
Behind this demographic milestone lies a complex picture: many elderly live in poverty, face health vulnerabilities, and lack adequate social protection.

This issue explores how Yogyakarta’s ageing population challenges economic resilience, public health systems, and social safety nets offering crucial insights into what Indonesia’s future might look like as the nation grows older.

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Authors: Rani Destia Wahyuningsih, Qisha Quarina

October 2025

Mental health issues do not only affect individuals but also generate major economic consequences. Recent data shows that people from the lowest economic group experience the highest prevalence of mental health disorders, with nearly half of the total societal costs driven by productivity loss.

How significant is the economic and social burden of mental health today, both globally and in Indonesia?
Explore the key insights in this month’s infographic.

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Authors:

Raniah Salsabila, Owen Alberto Liem, Nadya Zahra Prasetio, Nawfal Aulia, Qisha Quarina

Bidang Kajian Microeconomics Dashboard 2025

Executive Summary

• In Indonesia, work agreements are divided into 2 (two), i.e. fixed-term contract (Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tertentu/PKWT) and indefinite-term contract (Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tidak Tertentu/PKWTT).
• The implementing regulations for work agreements are contained in the Law No. 13/2003 on Employment, which was later amended through Law No. 11/2020 on Job Creation or the Omnibus Law, and Government Regulation No. 35/2021.
• There are differences between the two work agreements, i.e. the length of service, nature of work, employment rights, and employment protection for workers.
• Despite being eligible to the same social protection programs, fixed-term contract workers are prone to risks due to the limited nature of the work agreement, lack of labour regulations, restricted social program coverage, and susceptibility to income exploitation.
• Specifically, only a small portion of PKWT workers are covered by employment insurance programs despite being eligible for the programs, indicating the mismatch between regulations and company policies.
• Demographically, PKWT workers tend to be younger and less educated than the PKWTT workers.
• The number of workers experiencing termination of employment has increased from year to year with PKWT workers being more vulnerable to termination of employment.
• In addition, compared to the PKWTT workers, the PKWT workers have a higher percentage of no engagement in the labour union, implying that PKWT workers have a lower incidence of social dialogue in the labour market.
• Lastly, most PKWT workers lie within the lower income deciles (within the 1st-5th decile), placing them in a financially vulnerable segment of society.

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On June 24–25, 2025, undergraduate students from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) participated in the national workshop entitled “Towards a Comprehensive Social Protection Transformation in Indonesia” held at the Morrissey Hotel, Central Jakarta.

Organized by the ILO in collaboration with national stakeholders, this two-day forum brought together representatives from government agencies, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and international partners. The workshop aimed to evaluate Indonesia’s readiness in aligning its social protection system with ILO Convention No. 102 of 1952 (C102) on Minimum Standards of Social Security.

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Microeconomics Dashboard terus berupaya menghadirkan program-program yang mendukung penguatan riset ekonomi terapan, diseminasi pengetahuan berbasis data, dan keterlibatan aktif dalam isu-isu pembangunan yang relevan.

Rangkuman kegiatan sepanjang Februari hingga Juni 2025 dapat dilihat pada slide-slide berikut sebagai dokumentasi atas berbagai inisiatif yang telah dijalankan.

Jangan lupa ikuti terus informasi terbaru mengenai kegiatan, publikasi, dan agenda kolaboratif kami lainnya melalui akun Instagram @microdashboard.

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Penulis: Qisha Quarina, Owen Alberto Liem

Juni 2025

Angka pengangguran terbuka (TPT) Indonesia turun ke 4,76% pada Februari 2025 terendah dalam beberapa tahun terakhir. Sekilas, ini tampak sebagai sinyal membaiknya pasar kerja. Namun jika ditelaah lebih dalam, jumlah penganggur justru meningkat, dan sebagian besar pekerjaan baru yang tercipta adalah pekerjaan informal yang rentan tanpa perlindungan sosial.

Analisis terbaru kami menunjukkan bahwa 59,4% pekerja Indonesia masih bekerja secara informal, tanpa kontrak kerja formal atau jaminan hukum. Bahkan di kalangan pekerja formal, mayoritas bekerja dengan sistem kontrak jangka pendek (PKWT) yang tidak menjamin keberlanjutan pekerjaan atau akses penuh terhadap jaminan sosial. Cakupan jaminan sosial pun masih sangat rendah, khususnya bagi pekerja informal dan pekerja tanpa perjanjian kerja.

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On May 2nd, 2025, we successfully held the first session of our Policy Paper Writing Workshop series, led by Ardina Hasanbasri. The workshop focused on the key aspects of crafting effective policy reports, emphasizing the importance of structuring reports that are clear, concise, and accessible to diverse audiences, including both the public and private sectors.

Participants were also introduced to the essential components of a well-crafted executive summary—one that presents the main recommendations in a direct and actionable manner. We would like to thank all the participants for their valuable contributions and engagement. We look forward to continuing this journey in future sessions.

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[EVENT RECAP – MET Series #1]
The Center for Microeconomics Research and Dashboard successfully launched the first session of the Micro-Economica Talks (MET) Series, carrying the theme: “Just Transition & Climate Change: The Role of Social Protection and Impacts on Workers.”

Held over two insightful days: Wednesday, 19 March 2025 and Thursday, 20 March 2025. This event brought together students, researchers, and practitioners to critically explore the intersection of energy transition, climate policy, and social protection.

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Author: Ahmad Zufar Robbani, Raniah Salsabila, Qisha Quarina

May 2025

Indonesia’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 or earlier places the coal sector at the heart of the nation’s energy transition. As one of the main contributors to national GDP, state revenue, and employment, phasing out coal is not just an environmental milestone—it’s a socioeconomic turning point. Our latest study reveals that while most coal workers belong to the highest wage deciles, many are still vulnerable due to fixed-term contracts that limit access to social protection. The transition is projected to cause widespread job losses across upstream and downstream industries, with regions like East Kalimantan and South Sumatra likely to face the greatest impact.

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Author: Aushaaf Rafif Keane Pribadi (1)
Reviewer: Raniah Salsabila (2), Qisha Quarina (2)

Maret 2025

Highlights:

• Informal sectors, specifically urban informal sector, play significant roles in the economy and employment of the people in India. 
• The dominance of the urban informal sector in India is mainly caused by urbanization coupled with premature deindustrialization. 
• The urban informal sector has a significant role in income generation and unemployment reduction, leading to increased livelihood for the poor. On the other side, the urban informal sector faces challenges, such as low access to credit, production technologies, formal training, and public services. 
• However, the existence of the urban informal sector still sparks debate on whether it is desired in the economy. The urban informal sector is typically characterized by low productivity, but its vital role as the livelihood of the urban poor and its potential resilience to shocks may benefit India’s current economic condition if treated accordingly. 
• It is acknowledged that the development of the urban formal sector can stabilize the urban informal sector through balanced transitions and increased productivity from the spillover effects.
• However, comprehensive policies targeted specifically to the urban informal sector are needed, including facilitation of capacity building, inclusive credit access, accommodative business insurance, and formalization mechanism that is adapted to specific informal sector types. 

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