Officials want wages for local workers in Bali to come closer to the cost of living on the island.
For the tourism sector, the authorities are considering a benchmark of around 5 million rupiah a month. Ida Bagus Setiawan, head of Bali's Office of Manpower, Energy and Mineral Resources, said the government is currently collecting wage data across all nine regions of the island and discussing the changes with employers and trade unions.
The figure used as a reference point is 5.2 million rupiah — the amount the central government has set as the income needed for a decent life in Bali.
Officials also want to factor in length of service. Employees who have been with a company for a year would be paid above the minimum level.
The idea of a separate pay system for Bali was backed by I Nyoman Parta, a member of the Indonesian parliament. In his view, wage calculations should take the specifics of the island's economy into account: there are no large mining or manufacturing companies here, and tourism remains the main source of income. For that reason, Parta believes, Bali needs its own pay rules, different from those applied in other regions of Indonesia.
Participants in the discussion also drew attention to another problem: the minimum wage often becomes a worker's actual pay, even though it was only ever meant to be a floor. The proposal is to consider not just the minimum, but also the position held and what the company can afford.
The new minimum wages for 2027 will be announced on November 21, 2026. The amounts for each individual district are due to be made known no later than five days after that.
Sources: Tribun-Bali, Detik.
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