Pre-Employment Card for Laid-off workers, 34 firms closed temporarily for violating social restrictions

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 09:20 am

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered massive layoffs globally, hammering industries, particularly in the tourism sector, and forcing closures of schools, hotels, restaurants, amusement centers, and factories, and people to stay home. No exception, Indonesia has also been affected,  where the government has projected unemployment in Indonesia to rise by five million in the face of the economic pressure caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Chief of the Task Force for Acceleration of COVID-19 Response Doni Monardo noted that some 1.6 million workers were laid off and forced to take unpaid leave due to the pandemic.

As all-out efforts to maintain economic stability, the government has launched the pre-employment card program since April 9 by allocating budget worth Rp20 trillion, with beneficiaries reaching 5.6 million, especially those impacted by layoffs, informal workers, and MSME actors bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release sent by the Presidential Staff Office in Jakarta, the first wave of the Pre-Employment Card registration process was closed for participants on April 16.

The program had a total of 5.7 million registrants, of which the status of 3.1 million participants was verified. Its budget has been increased to Rp20 trillion, and MSMEs will receive a special allocation. In the coming second phase, the government plans to raise the capacity of participants and the budget.

Initial selection was conducted to gauge the participants’ enthusiasm to join this program, such as the participants are over 18 years of age and are not in school and not availing social assistance programs.

The pre-employment program, utilizing a digital system based on the e-learning concept, with young registrants constituting the majority, offers a training to hone skills.

Over 900 online trainings of various types and levels, ranging from beginner to advanced levels, are able to be accessed. These trainings

will be available on eight digital platforms, mostly practical, simple training types that could generate income.

The training guides will comprise Introduction to Information Technology for Beginners, Accounting for Beginners, Young Da’i Training, Becoming a Reliable MC, Coffee Shop Management, Practical English for Tourism Guides, Basic Housekeeping Skills, and Learning to Become a Telemarketer.

The people can open the pre-employment program’s official site in www.prakerja.go.id. Since its launch on March 20, 2020, until Apr 12, the website has received 2.4 million unique visitors.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta administration has temporarily shut down the work sites of 34 companies for violating large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the capital as of Tuesday, the 12th day of PSBB implementation.

“The 34 companies will be closed until the PSBB ends on April 23, 2020,” said head of the Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration and Energy Office, Andri Yansah.

According to Article 10 of the Jakarta Governor’s Regulation No. 33/2020, only companies or business sites engaged in 11 sectors have been allowed to operate during the PSBB period.

The 11 sectors that have secured a permit from the Industry Ministry include health, foodstuff/food/drink, energy, communication and information technology, finance, logistics, hotel, construction, strategic industries, basic services, and public utilities, as well as industries designated as vital national objects, and firms manufacturing certain products as well as those producing items of daily need. In addition, the Jakarta administration has also issued warnings to 44 business undertakings, engaged in sectors other than the 11 sectors set forth in the regulation.