Misleading2026-10
What is circulating
“At a cabinet meeting on 21 October 2026, Airlangga told the President that unemployment of 4.65 percent was "the lowest since 1994."”
Claimed by Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs · official statement
The facts
The number matches BPS: open unemployment was 4.65 percent in May 2026, against 4.36 percent in 1994. Kompas, citing a Celios economist, called the framing misleading because BPS counts anyone who worked at least one hour a week, even unpaid, as employed, about 60 percent of workers are informal, and new job creation roughly halved between 2025 and 2026.