BPS: Most Indonesian Workers Remain Unvaccinated Due to Concerns Over Side Effects

According to the National Workforce Survey (Sakernas) by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in August 2021, 62.05% of the Indonesian working population had not yet received the Covid-19 vaccination. The main reason cited by the majority (33.53%) was concern about side effects.

Other reasons, such as health factors, pregnancy, and infrastructure limitations, accounted for another 30.41% of unvaccinated working individuals. Furthermore, 21.63% stated they were still searching for vaccination sites with available quotas.

Another 11.8% of the working population said they had not yet received their Covid-19 vaccination but were already scheduled. Meanwhile, 2.53% stated their unwillingness to be vaccinated due to a lack of belief in the vaccine's effectiveness.

Despite this, 37.42% of the working population had already received the Covid-19 vaccine. The percentage of vaccinated female workers (38.73%) was higher than that of male workers (36.59%).

Provinces with the highest percentage of vaccinated working populations were Bali (91.86%), followed by DKI Jakarta (87.15%), and Riau Islands (81.9%). Provinces with the lowest vaccination rates among working populations were West Kalimantan (19.83%), Lampung (19.91%), and North Maluku (21.55%).

According to BPS, the working population refers to individuals aged 15 and above who actively engage in economic activities to earn or help earn income or profit, for at least 1 uninterrupted hour in the past week.

Vaccination is crucial in reducing the risk of illness and death from the coronavirus; therefore, the public is urged to participate in the ongoing vaccination program.