Manpower Minister: Social security benefits become capital for workers' economic independence
Manpower Minister Yassierli has stressed that social security benefits received by workers and their families need to be followed by empowerment so they can become capital for recovery and building economic independence. “Employment social security is not enough if it only provides protection when workers face risks. Its benefits need to be followed by empowerment,” Yassierli said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister appreciated the Economic Empowerment and Independence (PEKA) initiative by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, which broadens the meaning of social security benefits from merely providing compensation to support that delivers a sustainable impact for workers and their families. “We appreciate this initiative. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan does not stop at providing money or compensation, but ensures the money is beneficial in a sustainable way,” he said.
According to him, when heirs receive social security benefits, the benefits are expected not only to be used to meet immediate needs but also to become capital for building or developing productive businesses. The minister said the empowerment approach is in line with the Manpower Ministry’s experience through various programmes, one of which is Tenaga Kerja Mandiri (TKM).
The programme has reached hundreds of thousands of recipients, while this year the ministry is targeting capital assistance for 10,000 people. The ministry has also profiled 1,000 successful TKM participants who can serve as learning and reference in developing economic empowerment programmes. “We already have the modules, so BPJS Ketenagakerjaan colleagues just need to follow the tagline we have determined; there is no need to reinvent the wheel,” Yassierli said.
Furthermore, the minister assessed that synergy between PEKA and the empowerment ecosystem built by the ministry can strengthen the impact of social security benefits. Collaboration is needed so that various government programmes and stakeholders can complement each other, ensuring that benefits received by the public do not stop at one stage of intervention. “Because the answer to every employment challenge is collaboration, collaboration, and collaboration,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan President Director Saiful Hidayat explained that PEKA was developed to provide added value to the benefits received by workers’ heirs. He said PEKA has entered the implementation stage after piloting since early July. In the simultaneous implementation, activities took place in 37 provinces and 41 locations with more than 1,400 participants. Overall, 2,736 participants have attended training. “The programme is directed not to stop at training, but to continue with funding and marketing support so that participants are able to develop their businesses productively,” Saiful said.