Anticipating the Year-End Economy and Stories of Unemployment Alleviation Solutions from Cikarang

Good morning, Chief...

The following is important information related to the development of the business universe that needs attention today based on the curation of the SUAR Team.

Businesses Need to Anticipate a Slowdown in the Fourth Quarter

Business activity is expected to slow down in the fourth quarter. Business actors hope that the many incentives and government spending at the end of the year can boost the economy further. The forecast for the fourth quarter economy to slow down was revealed in the Q3 Business Activity Survey (SKDU) released by Bank Indonesia (BI) Friday, (17/10/2025). In the survey, respondents said that economic conditions in the fourth quarter were positive with a Weighted Net Balance (WNB) value of 10.53%. This figure decreased compared to the third quarter SBT of 11.55% and the second quarter of 11.7%.
Meanwhile, in the third quarter, the utilized production capacity in the third quarter was recorded at 73.84%, a slight increase compared to the second quarter of 2025 which amounted to 73.58%. Still from BI research, the Prompt Manufacturing Index (PMI) in the third quarter at 51.66% was higher than the previous quarter of 50.89%. An index above 50% indicates an expansion position of the business world, while an index below 50% indicates the opposite position. Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter of 2025, the performance of the manufacturing industry business field is predicted to be maintained and in the expansion phase reflected in the PMI-BI of 51.36%.

Read the full story here.

Deregulation to Achieve High Economic Growth

Even after a year of President Prabowo's administration, the dream of achieving 8% economic growth by 2029 still remains. So far, the business world has been encouraged to be ready to contribute to economic growth, even though the business world is more than ready for it. However, readiness also requires agreement on productivity and efficiency to overcome problems such as loan interest rates that reach 8%-14% and the very high cost of funds , even though upgrading and upskilling require a lot of capital. The business world is calling for deregulation so that the economy can be accelerated.

Read the full story here.

Third Quarter Credit Growth Slows, Step Up in Fourth Quarter

Bank Indonesia on Monday (20/10/2025) announced that lending in the third quarter of 2025 grew positively with a Weighted Net Balance (WNB) value of 82.33%, slightly down from the previous quarter with a WNB of 85.22% but higher than the same period last year with a WNB of 80.64%. Meanwhile, a number of economists suggested that banks are expected to disburse credit with easing to boost consumption at the end of the year and pursue aggressive growth in the fourth quarter. As for the fourth quarter of 2025, BI estimates that new lending will increase significantly with the SBT value reaching 96.40%.

Read the full story here.

From Cikarang, Welding Training Students Aim for Job Opportunities in Japan

The story of the Kampung Welding Vocational Training Institute (LPK) in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, which successfully creates prospective migrant workers skilled in welding. To date, Kampuh Welding Cikarang claims to have produced more than 3,000 professional welders with national and international certificates. The training at Kampuh is designed so that graduates have industry-recognized skill standards, especially for those who want to work in Japan. The main program focuses on mastering the 3G position and FCAW process, with skills certification from Nippon KaijiKyokai (NK), a Japanese ship classification society that is an important reference for the international shipping industry.

Read the full story here.

Selected Videos: A Year of Prabowo-Gibran, a Leap Toward Food Sovereignty

The Government's One-Year Performance in Realizing Food Self-Sufficiency

The government is working hard to achieve food self-sufficiency, especially rice. Based on calculations from the Central Bureau of Statistics, until November this year national rice production reached 33.19 million tons, up 12.62% compared to last year. Farmers' welfare as seen from the farmer exchange rate (NTP) indicator has also shown improvement.
The national rice production of 33.19 million tons is believed to cover domestic rice consumption. The National Food Agency (BPN) in a press release last May stated that rice consumption in the first 6 months of 2025 was 15.43 million tons. If it is assumed that the consumption figure in the second 6 months of 2025 is the same, it means that for one year rice consumption is around 31 million tons.

Read the full story here.

DECAGRID SYMPOSIUM 2025 is a symposium organized by the Indonesian Smart Grid Association (PJCI) to discuss the future ofsmart energy innovation and digital transformation in Indonesia. This symposium will be held on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 09.00-18.00 WIB at the 3rd Floor Auditorium, PT PLN (Persero) Head Office. The event will focus on the main theme "Empowering Smart Grids with Mission-Critical Networks", with two main sessions: GRID TALKS SERIES 1 on Outlook & Roadmap: Opportunity, Challenge, and Investment for Smart Grid, and GRID TALKS SERIES 2 on National Defense of Energy for Smart Grid Island Interconnection. The event will be attended by Rosan Roeslani (CEO of Danantara) and Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (Minister of Finance) as keynote speakers. In addition, this event will also present guest speakers from the government, namely Bahlil Lahadalia (Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources) to Darmawan Prasodjo (President Director of PT PLN). Participants can attend this event for free and are required to make a seat reservation through the link on PJCI social media.

RD OPZ Forum 2025 is a collaborative forum organized by Forum Zakat with the theme "OPZ HR Transformation: Strategic Synergy and Technical Action Towards Professional and Competitive Amil". The event aims to develop a new direction for sharing best practices and strengthening synergies among Human Resources (HR) managers of Zakat Management Organizations (OPZ). The event will be held for two days, from Tuesday to Wednesday, October 21-22, 2025, offline at Cosmo Amaroossa, Jakarta. The forum will feature inspiring and expert speakers, including Prof. Yassierli (Indonesian Minister of Manpower), Prof. Waryono A.G. (Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs), Harman Subakat (Paragon Corp), Maya Sita Darlina (Human Initiative), as well as Wildhan Dewayana and Irvan Nugraha from Forum Zakat. This forum is a real step to build a professional and competitive zakat HR ecosystem, with registration details accessible through information from Forum Zakat.