Indonesia is ranked 83rd happiest working country with a score of 5,617. This result is based on a Happier Liver Institute survey conducted on 147 countries. As a comparison, Indonesia is still lagging behind fellow BRICS members, such as China at number 68 (score 5,921) or Brazil at number 36 (score 5,694).

If worker happiness is measured by wage indicators, this position is understandable because the average wage of workers in Indonesia is still in the range of IDR 2.7 million to IDR 3 million per month. A relatively low amount to fulfill the needs of a decent life.

The wages of Indonesian workers also vary, indicating income inequality. There are some regions where workers' wages are above average, such as DKI Jakarta with IDR 5.1 million per month. Compared to other provinces, DKI Jakarta's wage is the highest and has experienced a 95 percent increase in 2024. In addition, there are also Riau Islands with an average wage of Rp 4.4 million per month. Furthermore, there is Banten with a wage of IDR 4.2 million per month.

It could be that workers in provinces with higher wages are already happier than workers in other provinces where wages are below the national average.

Source: Sakernas BPS, data processed