Labour Minister Addresses Potential Layoffs Amid Rupiah Weakness
JAKARTA — Labour Minister Yassierli has responded to potential layoffs across various sectors amid the rupiah’s weakening against the US dollar. On Tuesday (26/5/2026) morning, the rupiah depreciated by five points or 0.03% to Rp 17,749 per dollar, compared to the previous close of Rp 17,744.
“We are continuously coordinating with Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. As you can see, many steps have already been taken,” Yassierli said at a press conference in Jakarta.
“For instance, yesterday there was an issue regarding gas shortages, so the solution was tax relaxation and so on,” he added.
He stated that the government is continuously coordinating to find the best solutions to prevent potential layoffs. “We are inter-ministerial, we are one team. We are continuously monitoring,” Yassierli said.
When asked about when the Layoff Task Force (Satgas PHK) would be launched and begin addressing labour sector issues, Yassierli declined to provide further details, saying the ministry is still awaiting its launch.
“The Layoff Task Force, we are waiting for the launch. It is still pending,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Labour Minister also addressed reports of PT Xacti Indonesia in Depok, West Java, recently laying off around 350 employees.
He said he is still awaiting the latest report from Deputy Labour Minister Afriansyah Noor, who is following up on the case. “Not yet, the report is still with the Deputy Minister. I haven’t received an update on the report, we will wait,” Yassierli said briefly.
Previously, the Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPI) confirmed that PT Xacti Indonesia in Depok, West Java, had laid off approximately 350 workers. The company was also declared closed due to inability to withstand economic pressures and a sluggish global market. “KSPI emphasises that the main cause of the layoffs and company closure is global economic pressures from prolonged wars, which have caused industrial raw material prices to surge and production costs to rise sharply,” said KSPI President Said Iqbal.