Jakarta, Jan. 21 -- Manpower Minister Yassierli has acknowledged that wage disparity remains a challenge that must be immediately resolved by the government in 2026.

"Wage disparity is one of our challenges, and it cannot be resolved within a single year," Yassierli said when met at the Parliamentary Complex here on Wednesday.

He noted that wage disparity remains a main concern for the government. Therefore, his ministry has set an index or alpha range in the provincial minimum wage (UMP) regulation at between 0.5 and 0.9 as one of the instruments to narrow wage gaps in each province.

The alpha index is stipulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 49 of 2025, under which the UMP calculation formula consists of inflation plus economic g...