Minister of Manpower: Government Coordinates to Prevent Layoffs Amid Economic Pressure

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Manpower Minister Yassierli has responded to potential job cuts across various sectors. The potential emerged amid the rupiah’s depreciation against the US dollar. On Tuesday (26 May 2026) morning, the rupiah weakened by five points or 0.03% to Rp 17,749 per dollar, compared to the previous close of Rp 17,744 per dollar. ‘We are continuously coordinating with the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs (Airlangga Hartarto). As you can see, many measures 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 other measures,’ he added. ‘So we are cross-ministerial, we are one team. We continuously monitor,’ Yassierli said. Regarding the launch of the Job Cut Task Force (Satgas PHK), Yassierli did not provide further details. He only mentioned that the government is still waiting for the right moment to launch the task force. ‘The Job Cut Task Force, we’re waiting for the launch moment. We’re still waiting for the right moment to launch it,’ he said. Yassierli also addressed reports of PT Xacti Indonesia in Depok, West Java, which recently laid off around 350 employees. He stated he is still awaiting an updated report from Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor. Afriansyah is said to be following up on the report. ‘Not yet, the report is still being received by the Deputy Minister, so I haven’t received an update on what it entails. We’ll wait,’ Yassierli said briefly. The company, located in Depok, West Java, has also been reported to have closed due to its inability to withstand economic pressures and a sluggish global market. ‘The KSPI has stated that the primary cause of the layoffs and company closure is global economic pressures from prolonged wars, which have driven up industrial raw material prices and sharply increased production costs,’ said KSPI President Said Iqbal.