Jakarta, – Domestic entrepreneurs believe that high costs in the economic sector still pose a structural challenge that hampers the competitiveness of the country.
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Shinta Kamdani, stated that high costs from sectors such as logistics, energy, labor, and loans make Indonesia one of the countries with the highest business costs in the ASEAN-5, namely Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
“Logistics costs, for example, reach 23.5% of GDP, far more inefficient compared to Malaysia (12.5%) and Singapore (8%),” said Shinta, in the Apindo 2025 Economic & Business Outlook, Thursday (19/12/2024).
Furthermore, the Apindo Survey noted that 61.26% of business actors have difficulty accessing loans, while 43.05% consider the interest rates too high. On the other hand, around 64.28% of companies stated that regulatory reforms have not guaranteed business ease and certainty.
Selain itu, Shinta mengatakan dominasi sektor informal dan rendahnya produktivitas juga berpotensi menghambat laju pertumbuhan ekonomi, di mana jumlah sektor informal mencapai 59,17% pada 2024, meningkat dari 55,88% pada 2019.
With a number of opportunities and challenges that Indonesia currently faces, Shinta revealed that Apindo has formulated a strategic agenda to drive economic growth, including the downstreaming of commodities in strategic sectors, consistent and targeted strengthening of MSMEs with a pentahelix approach, strengthening the digital economy ecosystem, optimizing the green sector, and achieving food self-sufficiency.
“So, we always say the key is how Indonesia can improve the existing high cost economy.” Supaya kita bisa lebih kompetitif,” tegas Shinta.
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