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NTT – The Provincial Leadership Board (DPP) of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) held the 2025 Provincial Working Conference (RAKERKONPROV) under the theme “Entrepreneurs United, Building NTT.”

The series of events began with a Welcoming Dinner on Sunday (November 23, 2025) at Hotel Ima, followed by the official opening of the RAKERKONPROV on Monday (November 24, 2025) at Harper Hotel Kupang.

The conference served as a consolidation forum for NTT entrepreneurs to strengthen collaboration with the government in order to promote more stable and sustainable economic growth.

Chairman of DPP APINDO NTT, Bobby Pitoby, in his remarks emphasized that this year’s RAKERKONPROV addressed a number of strategic issues related to the business sector, industrial relations, and the determination of minimum wages.

He stressed that APINDO is the only employers’ organization mandated by law to participate in the determination of the Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) and Regency/City Minimum Wage (UMR) together with the government and labor unions.

According to Bobby, the determination of UMP/UMR cannot be carried out arbitrarily. Economic growth in NTT, inflation, and decent living standards must serve as the main indicators.

“If wages are set too high, production costs will also increase. Commodity prices will rise accordingly. In the end, people’s purchasing power remains stagnant,” he said.

Bobby underlined that the key to improving purchasing power lies not merely in raising wages, but in increasing productivity.

He illustrated that if production costs remain stable while output increases, prices can be suppressed, enabling people to more easily afford basic necessities.

Bobby also highlighted that NTT’s economic structure still relies heavily on government spending, which accounts for up to 70 percent of economic activity.

This condition, he noted, places significant pressure on businesses when government budgets are reduced.

“If the economy is to be strong and sustainable, private sector contributions must be greater. Ideally, 70 percent from the private sector and 30 percent from the government,” he explained.

He further added that banking credit in NTT is still dominated by consumptive loans, reaching up to 80 percent, a condition he described as unhealthy for economic growth.

Bobby encouraged banks and business actors to increase the proportion of working capital loans and investment credit to ensure capital circulation and business expansion.

APINDO also promotes empowerment programs, including stunting prevention initiatives and the APINDO Mengajar (APINDO Teaching) program, aimed at creating new entrepreneurs in NTT. These programs are expected to foster an entrepreneurial culture and reduce public dependence on formal employment.

Meanwhile, Anthony Hilman, Head of the Organizational Affairs Division of the APINDO National Leadership Board (DPN), who attended on behalf of the APINDO Chairwoman, expressed appreciation to the entire APINDO NTT leadership and organizing committee.

He emphasized that RAKERKONPROV is not merely a routine agenda, but a collaborative forum to ensure that business policy directions remain effective.

Anthony explained that current challenges facing the business sector are increasingly complex, including high logistics costs, weak purchasing power, and the dominance of informal employment.

In NTT alone, informal workers account for 68.8 percent of the workforce. He stated that APINDO stands ready to become a strategic partner of the government in increasing job creation and improving the regional investment climate.

“NTT has great potential to become a new growth center in Eastern Indonesia. However, this can only be achieved through joint efforts by the government, the business sector, and the community,” Anthony said.

Also present at the event was the Governor of NTT’s Expert Staff for Economic and Development Affairs, Linus Lusi, representing the Governor of East Nusa Tenggara in officially opening the 2025 RAKERKONPROV of DPP APINDO NTT.

In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of cross-institutional collaboration to strengthen economic growth in East Nusa Tenggara.

He highlighted the need for capacity building directed toward priority sectors.

“I hope APINDO can focus on one flagship product of NTT as a leading sector to better capture supply and demand in a more targeted manner,” he added.

Linus Lusi also noted that the central government is encouraging budget efficiency, making synergy between APINDO, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and cooperatives increasingly important to enhance human resource quality and strengthen the local economic ecosystem.

Furthermore, he explained that the government is currently designing the One Village One Product program, which could serve as a reference for APINDO in identifying real village potential as a foundation for business development.

He expressed hope that APINDO would be able to develop leading sectors with strong supply-demand dynamics for NTT.

In closing, he called on all participants to strengthen solidarity, collaboration, and shared commitment for the advancement of NTT.

Meanwhile, in the committee report delivered by Tony Dima, several key points were highlighted, particularly support and policy direction from the Minister of Manpower, who was present during the APINDO NTT event series.

Tony emphasized that APINDO, as a strategic partner of the government, plays a major role in strengthening the worker protection system.

He expressed hope that RAKERKONPROV would serve as a strong dialogue platform to address labor and economic issues in NTT, while also generating new forms of collaboration.

The 2025 APINDO NTT RAKERKONPROV is expected to produce concrete recommendations to strengthen industrial relations, increase private sector contributions, and drive the NTT economy toward a more productive and sustainable direction.

Source: ntt.suaramerdeka.com