Indonesia Emergency Layoffs, Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Asks The Government To Respond With A Concrete Strategy

ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA PHOTO/Hafidz Mubarak A/wsj/aa.

JAKARTA - DPR Speaker Puan Maharani asked the government to be proactive in responding to the phenomenon of termination of employment (PHK) which has become increasingly worrying lately. He asked the government to quickly respond to this layoff issue with a concrete strategy.

Puan reminded that the government, which is the result of democracy, must be present in person in the welfare of people's lives.

"The purpose of reform is to seek political democracy and economic democracy. Democracy must not stop at the sound booth but must reach the people's 'kitchen'. In terms of economic democracy, this includes protection for the working community," said Puan, Wednesday, May 21.

The Ministry of Manpower has again announced the termination of employment (PHK). As of May 20, 2025, 26,454 workers have been laid off. This figure has increased significantly from before.

According to Puan, the increase in the number of layoffs is not just a statistic, but a reminder that the labor crisis is getting worse in Indonesia. He also asked the Government to respond with a concrete strategy.

"Because democracy not only guarantees rights in the political field, but also rights in the economic field, namely the right to prosper and a prosperous life," he stressed.

Puan also encouraged the government to prepare clear mitigation to anticipate the high unemployment rate in Indonesia. According to him, the government should not only wait for the storm to pass without opening a protection umbrella for millions of workers whose fate is threatened.

"There must be a labor-intensive program that is launched, relocation or retraining for affected workers, and intensification of dialogue involving all stakeholders," said Puan.

Puan highlighted various structural challenges that still hinder the welfare of the people, including gaps for workers. Therefore, Puan ensured that the DPR would support every government policy that sided with the people, including for the workforce.

"The most important thing right now is to solve economic problems: how people's income must be improved; jobs are available; the people can have a source of livelihood for prosperity," he said.

"The DPR RI, through its constitutional function, will support every state policy that can provide a way for the people to find solutions in the economic field; so that people live a comfortable, peaceful, and prosperous life," added Puan.

Puan said joint work from all parties was needed to overcome the phenomenon of layoff storms, including from business actors or companies as employers.

"Building this great Indonesia requires working with all the nation's children," said Puan.

He said, ensuring that the people get welfare is a constitutional mandate of the state, one of which is related to job guarantees so that the state must be present for the people.

"The state should no longer be an audience when the people suffer from losing their jobs. Joint work is needed to ensure concrete policies that save Indonesian workers," said Puan.