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Desperate Unemployment in Indonesia, the Majority Are Men

Adi Ahdiat 30/04/2026 16:57 WIB

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According to research by LPEM FEB UI, the majority of desperate unemployed people in Indonesia are men.

The Proportion of Desperate Unemployed in Indonesia by Gender (February 2025)

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Desperate Unemployment in Indonesia, the Majority Are Men

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The Proportion of Desperate Unemployed in Indonesia by Gender (February 2025)

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"Desperate unemployed" are people who are not working and not looking for work because they feel it's impossible to get a job.

According to research by LPEM FEB UI, in February 2025, there were about 1.87 million desperate unemployed people in Indonesia. Of these, 69% were men and 31% were women.

LPEM FEB UI stated that, according to the findings of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in several developing countries, men who are eliminated from formal employment often experience a decline in job search motivation.

The factors affecting the decline in motivation of this group of men are a combination of wage stagnation, increasing competition, and skills that are no longer suitable for the changing economic structure.

"In the Indonesian context, low-skilled sectors that have long been the entry point for male workers, such as construction and some manufacturing industries, are facing fluctuating demand pressures," said a LPEM FEB UI researcher in the report "Reading the Signals of Despair in the Indonesian Labor Market" (November 2025).

"This instability makes some men feel that their realistic job prospects are becoming increasingly narrow," they continued.

Unlike men, LPEM FEB UI assesses that the phenomenon of desperate unemployment among women is influenced by structural constraints, such as a lack of childcare support, social norms regarding domestic roles, and age and marital status discrimination in the recruitment process.

"The World Bank noted that women in Indonesia face greater obstacles in the transition from school to work, especially because the opportunities for formal jobs that are friendly to women are still limited," they said.

"In such conditions, women who want to work but repeatedly fail to find jobs easily shift to a position of giving up," they continued.

Editor : Adi Ahdiat

"Disclosure: This is an AI-generated translation of the original article. We strive for accuracy, but please note that automated translations may contain errors or slight inconsistencies."