Purbaya Proposes WFH for Civil Servants and Private Employees Every Friday to Save Fuel, Here's the Reason
The government has confirmed that a work-from-home (WFH) policy will be implemented starting after Eid 2026. This policy is designed as a strategic step to curb energy consumption, particularly petroleum fuel (BBM), amid rising global oil prices.
The WFH scheme will apply to Civil Servants (ASN) and is encouraged for the private sector, with exceptions for public services that must continue operating in person.
The government assures that WFH will not be enforced every day, but only one day per week. One option under consideration is implementing WFH on Fridays, which is seen as providing multiplied effects on energy efficiency as well as community economic activities.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa revealed that even if applied for just one day, this policy has the potential to deliver significant impacts on BBM savings.
“There is a rough calculation… (WFH could save) one-fifth, approximately 20 percent (of BBM usage),” said Purbaya in Jakarta on Saturday, 21 March 2026.
According to him, limiting it to one day per week aims to maintain a balance between work flexibility and productivity.
“Then it would be holidays all the time. Then no work. Well, WFH, how about that, sometimes there are things that can’t be done well with WFH,” he stated.
Furthermore, Purbaya explained that if WFH is applied on Fridays, the public will have a longer weekend sequence, from Friday to Sunday. This pattern is believed to boost household activities while providing positive impacts on the domestic tourism sector.
Previously, President Prabowo Subianto had also encouraged energy-saving efforts in a cabinet meeting. He assessed that the WFH policy had proven effective during the COVID-19 pandemic in significantly reducing BBM consumption.
“I ask this to be discussed later, perhaps by the Coordinating Ministers, how many days this will be, we’ll see. We’ll think about it. Back then we tackled COVID, we succeeded. And we were able, many worked from home, efficiency, meaning we saved a very large amount of BBM,” said Prabowo.
Similar policies have been implemented in several countries in response to global uncertainties. For example, Thailand promotes working from home to reduce electricity and fuel consumption. The Philippines has introduced a four-day workweek system in the public sector, while Pakistan has prepared remote learning schemes and flexible work arrangements.