The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), the investment service agency of the Indonesian government, claims it has prevented about 24,500 of layoffs through its special desk for footwear and textile industries. This special desk is an agency set up by the BKPM in early October 2015 to support local companies in the footwear and textile industries as these industries are considered most affected by the country's economic slowdown. BKPM Chairman Franky Sibarani said a total of 48 companies have requested support through this special desk.

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The government of Indonesia will announce a fourth stimulus package on Thursday (15/10). This new edition will focus on safeguarding employment in Indonesia. Due to the country's economic slowdown, concern about unemployment has risen. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPSI) recently said that over 62,000 Indonesian workers lost their jobs during the first nine months of 2015.

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Adis Dimension Footwear, the local Indonesian unit of American multinational footwear and sportswear manufacturer Nike Inc, announced it is preparing a new USD $60 million factory in Majalengka (West Java). This new factory, which will produce the Nike brand shoes for the growing global market, is designed to have a production capacity of 10 million pairs of shoes per year. Harijanto, Chairman of Adis Dimension Footwear, said the plant is a long-term project. While the plant is under construction, human resource training has already started.

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Indonesian Industry Minister Saleh Husin inaugurated the new USD $60 million shoe factory of Changshin Reksa Jaya in Garut (West Java) which will produce Nike branded shoes. The shoe factory has an annual production capacity of 15 million pairs and will provide employment to 5,500 people. Reportedly, all of the shoes produced at this plant will be exported to Europe, USA, and other parts of Asia. Minister Husin stated that the new factory is highly appreciated as it will boost the country’s non-oil & gas exports.

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On 15 February 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as the latest current account figures, foreign exchange risks, foreign ownership in the banking sector, biodiesel prices, investments in the cement industry, the Cilamaya port tender, and more.

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Foreign investors continue to be concerned about rapidly rising minimum wages in Indonesia. In Indonesian media it was reported that a total of sixteen investors, mostly from South Korea and Japan, cancelled their plans to establish footwear factories in Indonesia due to uncertainty over Indonesian minimum wage growth. In the last couple of years, minimum wages in Indonesia have grown sharply, possibly as a result of politicians looking for popular support ahead of regional elections.

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Domestic sales of footwear in Indonesia declined 20 percent (y/y) to IDR 4.8 trillion (USD $393 million) in the third quarter of 2014 according to data from the Indonesian Footwear Association (Asosiasi Persepatuan Indonesia, abbreviated Aprisindo). Meanwhile, exports of Indonesian footwear declined as well but not as much as domestic sales. In fact, in terms of value, footwear exports increased due to the rupiah exchange rate that has depreciated considerably against the US dollar.

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On Monday (28/10), another large-scale demonstration took place in the center of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city. The workers that participated in the strike demanded a new minimum wage for Jakarta's provincial government due to the country's recent high inflation rate after prices of subsidized fuels were raised in June 2013, thus curbing people's purchasing power. The workers demand for the new minimum wage of IDR 3.7 million (USD $327) per month. However, these developments can hurt the investment climate in Indonesia.

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In the first quarter of 2013, Indonesia's manufacturing sector (excluding oil and gas) grew 6.69 percent (YoY). This growth figure is still far below the government's target of 9 percent growth in 2013. However, the minister of Industry, Muhammad Sulaeman Hidayat, remains optimistic that the nine percent growth target will be met in the second quarter of 2013 as production is increasing and investments have been realized. Analysts, however, expect the manufacturing sector to grow 7.14 percent this year (YoY).

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In the first month of 2022, we detected some positive signs, both abroad and at home (in Indonesia) as there is growing evidence that the Omicron variant is encouraging strong herd immunity around the world, while not making too many people ill to the extent that they require hospitalization.

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Exports of shoes (footwear) from Indonesia could reach USD $8 billion per year in the foreseeable future, from USD $4.5 billion currently. Eddy Widjanarko, Chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said local footwear factories in Indonesia are currently only operating at a utilization rate of between 50 and 60 percent, implying a significant portion of local production capacity in the shoe industry remains unused. Widjanarko is convinced earnings from Indonesia's shoe exports can double by raising production while still relying on the nation's traditional shoe markets: Europe and the USA.

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