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View all search resultsEvent industry shrinks by 60%, East Java’s creative sector faces mass layoffs
A wave of job cuts could hit as early as the second quarter of 2026 without immediate policy intervention or stimulus, industry players warn.
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Job applicants wait for their turn to enter a job fair in Surabaya, East Java, on April 7, 2026. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
E
ast Java’s creative industry is bracing for potential mass layoffs, particularly in the event organizing sector, following government budget efficiency measures introduced in early 2025.
Industry players warn that without an immediate policy intervention or stimulus, a wave of job cuts could hit as early as the second quarter of 2026.
Lukman Sadaya, chairman of event management association Backstagers East Java, said the number of events in East Java plunged by 60 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
“If this continues without any policy or stimulus from the government, it could rise another 30 to 40 percent,” he said.
Lukman noted that in 2025, each event company had already reduced between 20 and 30 in-house workers. Now, the threat of layoffs looms not only over permanent staff but also over some 12,000 freelancers who rely on the event industry for their livelihood.
“If this situation drags on, layoffs will occur in the second quarter of 2026. Hopefully, the creative industry, especially the event sector, will not ‘die’,” he said.
“We will keep fighting to ensure this industry continues to exist.”
