Although the pace is slowing, Indonesia’s manufacturing sector continued to contract in April 2015, the seventh consecutive month of declining manufacturing activity in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Indonesia’s latest HSBC purchasing manager’s index (PMI) was 46.7, up slightly from 46.4 in March (which constituted a historic low for Indonesia). A score below 50.0 signals contraction in manufacturing activity. Primary factors that caused this contraction are continued declining export orders and continued weak domestic demand.

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On the sidelines of the 24th World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia, Indonesia’s Chief Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said that - despite global challenges - the government maintains its economic growth target of 5.7 percent (y/y) in 2015. However, he added that it will require great effort to achieve this target. One key strategy to achieve the target is to attract foreign investment through several policies including tax incentives and by easing the country’s bureaucratic hurdles for investment permits.

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Growth of Indonesia’s non-oil and gas manufacturing industry in the first half of 2014 reached 5.49 percent (year-on-year) and thus outpaced the country’s general economic growth of 5.17 percent (yoy) over the same period. Indonesia’s manufacturing industry growth was particularly supported by growth in a number of sectors: Food, Drinks and Tobacco (+9.62 percent), Wood and Other Forest Products (+6.35 percent), Transportation Equipment Industry and Machinery (+4.52 percent), and Other Industrial Products (+15.77 percent).

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The Indonesian government revised down its target for the country's manufacturing growth in 2014 to 6 percent year-on-year (yoy) from 6.4 to 6.8 percent (yoy) previously. Main reason for the downgrade was the lower than expected GDP growth result in the first quarter of 2014. Earlier this week, Statistics Indonesia announced that the Indonesian economy expanded 5.21 percent in Q1-2014, the slowest quarterly growth pace since the fourth quarter of 2009. Last year, Indonesia's manufacturing sector grew 6.19 percent (yoy).

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Indonesia's Nikkei Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) eased to 50.7 in March 2018 from a reading of 51.4 in the preceding month (when manufacturing activity touched a 20-month high in Southeast Asia's largest economy). Softer expansion in output and new orders were cited as reason for slowing growth. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion in manufacturing activity, while a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction.

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One method to ignite structurally high economic growth for a sustained period of time in Indonesia is to encourage the development of the country's stagnant manufacturing sector. A thriving manufacturing industry (especially when it can export domestically manufactured products) will accelerate economic growth and generate plenty of employment opportunities (which will then encourage rising household consumption).

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Manufacturing activity in Indonesia continued to contract in January 2018 (for the second month in a row) albeit at a slower pace. The Nikkei Indonesia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose from 49.3 in December 2017 to a reading of 49.9 in January (a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction, while a reading above 50.0 indicates expansion in manufacturing activity).

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The manufacturing industry of Indonesia remains in a troublesome state. The latest Nikkei Indonesia manufacturing purchasing managers' Index (PMI) reading declined to 49.3 in December 2017, from 50.4 in the preceding month (a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction, while above 50.0 indicates growth in the country's manufacturing activity). It was the first time since July 2017 that Indonesia's manufacturing activity contracted.

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Indonesia is being threatened by deindustrialization. There have been reports that rising minimum wages, the low quality of local human resources, or scarcity of local raw materials have been encouraging companies in certain industries to relocate to other countries in Asia. This partly explains why the manufacturing industry's role toward Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) has been on the decline.

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Activity in Indonesia's manufacturing industry tumbled into contraction again in June 2017, after having experienced four months of straight growth. The Nikkei Indonesia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) declined to a reading of 49.5 in June, from 50.6 in the preceding month (a reading of 50.0 separates contraction from expansion). Contraction in Indonesia's manufacturing sector is particularly blamed on a stagnation in domestic order books.

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The first day of the month - in case of a working day - implies that investors can count on the release of several macroeconomic data from Indonesia, specifically inflation and manufacturing activity. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced this morning (01/06) that Indonesia's consumer inflation reached 0.24 percent (m/m), or 3.33 percent (y/y), in May 2016. Meanwhile, the Nikkei Indonesia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) eased to a reading of 50.6 in May from 50.9 one month earlier. Lets take a closer look at these data.

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Indonesia has always been hesitant to join free-trade deals with other nations on fears that domestic industries cannot compete with foreign counterparts, which could lead to an influx of cheaper, yet higher-quality foreign products. During his visit to the White House, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Indonesia intends to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Back home, this statement led to concern. What are the negative consequences for Indonesia when joining this deal?

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Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced today (01/09) that Indonesian inflation has eased slightly to 7.18 percent (y/y) in August 2015, from 7.26 percent (y/y) in the preceding month. On a month-on-month basis, inflation climbed 0.39 percent in August, below analysts’ expectations. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s manufacturing sector continued to contract in August, albeit conditions improved from the preceding month.

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One of the key strategies to improve the economic fundamentals of Indonesia is to restructure and strengthen the country’s exports. This restructuring involves the transformation of Indonesian exports from being dominated by (raw) commodities to manufactured exports by developing downstream industries in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, including import substitution industrialization in order to curb the country’s demand for imported products amid Indonesians’ rising purchasing power.

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