Much of the carving is allegedly done by 12 and 13 year old boys. A draft report by White and Tjandraningsih further documents child labor in the rapidly growing export-oriented rattan furniture industry. The authors researched the rattan furniture industry in Tegalwani, Cirebon, which includes all sizes of production units, including households. According to White and Tjandraningsih, the rattan industry relies heavily on child and juvenile labor, who work as paid helpers in a family enterprise, seek apprenticeships, or become wage-workers in the larger production unit. Children begin work at the age of nine or ten, and enter full-time wage labor after leaving primary school at the age of 12 or 13.
Most children work full-time, seven hours per day, and six days a week.
Children are usually provided with meals by their employers in the rattan industry. Apprenticeships, however, are a widespread source of cheap labor in the rattan industry, even though they are found to do most of the same kinds of work as their adult employers. There are reports of children working in the Indonesian garment and textile industry. Children from the Tangerang region reported working 48 hours a week and receiving less than minimum wage. In addition to the garment industry, it is quite common to find children, some as young as eight years old, working in the embroidery industry.