Indonesia's dwindling middle class seen dimming economic outlook
KARAWANG, Indonesia — Rahmat Hidayat lost his job when the shoe factory he worked for closed down last year in the industrial town of Karawang in Indonesia's West Java. The 44-year-old now earns less than half of what he used to make by selling grilled meatballs. Unable to afford his wife's diabetes medication, Rahmat picks herbs to make a tonic instead. Like Rahmat, millions of working to middle class Indonesians have become poorer, largely due to an increase in layoffs and a drop in the number of job opportunities since the pandemic. Читать дальше...