In an economic policy package that was implemented in 2015 the Indonesian government introduced a formula to ensure gradual and predictable minimum wage increases across Indonesia as this would make the investment and business climate much more attractive. Problematically, in the 2013-2014 period minimum wages - for example in Jakarta - had suddenly surged drastically, and this seriously burdened companies (hence resulting in layoffs or sometimes even the relocation of factories to other parts of Indonesia or abroad, such as Vietnam).

This new minimum wage growth formula is based on the sum of Indonesia's inflation and GDP growth over the past 12 months. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia's inflation reached 3.72 percent (y/y) in September 2017, while economic growth was recorded at 4.99 percent (y/y) over the same period (September 2016 - September 2017).

Indonesia's capital city Jakarta, for example, decided to set the new provincial minimum wage at IDR 3.65 million (approx. USD $270) for 2018, although local labor unions previously demanded a minimum wage of IDR 3.9 million based on calculations that included the basic cost of living.

Overall, Indonesia's minimum wages are still attractive. However, a key problem in Indonesia is that workers' productivity is generally low.

Indonesia's Minimum Wages per Province in 2018:

Province Minimum Wage
         IDR
Central Kalimantan      2,421,305
West Kalimantan      2,046,900
Jambi      2,243,718
Southeast Sulawesi      2,177,052
West Sumatra      2,119,067
Bangka Belitung      2,755,443
Papua      2,895,650
Bengkulu      1,888,741
Nusa Tenggara B.      1,825,000
Nusa Tenggara T.      1,660,000
Banten      2,099,385
South Kalimantan      2,454,671
DKI Jakarta      3,648,035
Riau      2,464,154
Riau Islands      2,563,875
Bali      2,127,157
North Sumatra      2,132,188
East Kalimantan      2,543,331
Aceh      2,717,750
Lampung      2,074,673
Central Sulawesi      1,965,232
Moluccas      2,222,220
North Moluccas not determined yet
South Sumatra      2,595,995
Gorontalo      2,206,813
South Sulawesi      2,647,767
West Papua      2,667,000
North Sulawesi      2,824,286
West Sulawesi      2,193,530

Various sources

Minimum Wages in Indonesia's Key Business Centers:

Province    2015    2016    2017
Jakarta 2,700,000 3,100,000 3,355,750
Bekasi Province 2,840,000 3,261,375 3,530,438
Bekasi City 2,954,031 3,327,160 3,601,550
Bogor 2,658,155 3,022,765 3,204,551
Tangerang 2,730,000 3,043,930 3,295,075
Karawang 2,957,450 3,330,505 3,605,272
Kendal 1,383,450 1,639,000 1,774,867
Surabaya 2,710,000 3,045,000 3,296,212
Gresik 2,707,500 3,042,500 3,293,506

Source: Kontan

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