Behind Indonesia’s 5% growth lies a less rosy picture

A bird’s eye view shows heavy traffic heading in and out of the city in the business district during rush hour in Jakarta. — Reuters

Jakarta: Indonesia’s growth performance last quarter is poised to top most of its peers in South-East Asia, but its path ahead is tricky amid widening cracks in the economy after the pandemic.

While its latest gross domestic product print shows a consumption boom that’s hovering near levels a decade before the pandemic, it has largely left behind lower-income households beset by low wages and limited opportunities.