The government has reopened applications for preemployment cards, although with a smaller quota than last year.
By
AGNES THEODORA
·3 minutes read
KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA
A woman accesses the Prakerja.go.id site to register for the Pre-employment Card program at the Assistance Service Post at the Office of Manpower and Transmigration of East Java Province, Surabaya, East Java, Monday (13/4/2020).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS– The government has reopened applications for preemployment cards, although with a smaller quota than last year. With a smaller quota and the abolishment of a wage subsidy for workers this year, preemployment cards should be prioritized for workers adversely affected by the pandemic. The training curriculum needs to be adjusted in accordance to the current labor market and industry needs.
The government allocates Rp 10 trillion for the preemployment card program, targeting 2.7 million participants in the first half of 2021. Last year, the government allocated Rp 20 trillion, targeting 5.9 million participants.
According to a Statistics Indonesia (BPS) survey in August last year, 66.47 percent of participants were still working. An internal evaluation conducted by preemployment card program management between August and December 2020 discovered that only 35 percent of unemployed participants found work after the training.
The program’s management spokesperson Louisa Tuhatu said on Tuesday training will be done until December this year following the recruitment of 2.7 million participants.
Louisa also said the application and selection process as well as training and incentive distribution will follow last year’s procedure. The requirements and incentive will also be the same as last year.
The program will allow participants to choose from any training program available on the platform. Employed workers can also participate in the training program.
According to the BPS survey in August last year, the majority (66.47 percent) of participants were still employed. Only 22.24 percent were unemployed and 11.29 percent out of the labor force. The survey also found that 63 percent of the still employed participants were working full time and 36 percent were underemployed.
Priority scale
Indonesian Workers Organization (OPSI) secretary general Timboel Siregar urged the government to ensure the effectiveness of the preemployment card program due to limited budget allocation and quota. The program management must improve coordination with regional manpower agencies to reach workers affected by the pandemic.
Improving the effectiveness of the program is necessary because more workers have been laid off or faced wage cuts during the pandemic. Moreover, the government has decided to not continue its wage subsidy program for workers with a salary of less than Rp 5 million. The preemployment card program has become the only means available for assisting workers during the pandemic.
Asides from ensuring its effectiveness, the government must facilitate workers who cannot access the program’s online training platform because of limited access to the internet and other equipment.
The government also needs to ensure the outcome of the program, assisting people finding jobs after the program. To do so, the government could partner with companies that offer internships. “On-the job training through internships could become a steppingstone for workers,” Timboel said.
In 2020, 5.5 million people participated in the preemployment card program. According to the BPS survey, 88.9 percent participants reported an improvement in skills after participating in the training program.
The number of incentives will be unchanged. They will receive Rp 1 million each for training, then Rp 2.4 million after completing the training, disbursed gradually over four months. Participants will also receive another incentive from taking part in three evaluation surveys, amounting to Rp 50,000 per survey or Rp 150,000 in total.
/https%3A%2F%2Fkompas.id%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2F20200616_ENGLISH-LIPSUS-PRAKERJA_D_1592317500.jpg){kind=logo}
