West Jakarta and BPJS aim to boost social security coverage through RW-level agents

The West Jakarta City Government (Pemkot) together with the Social Security Administering Body for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) are formulating plans to achieve ‘Universal Coverage Jamsostek’ (UCJ) by establishing Agents Penggerak Jaminan Sosial Indonesia (Perisai) at the neighbourhood unit (RW) level. Assistant for Economy and Development of the West Jakarta Administrative City Secretariat, Imron Sjahrin, stated that the UCJ target for the DKI Jakarta region stands at approximately 66.72 percent. ‘These Perisai agents must be equipped with clear information so they can socialise the benefits of participating in BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membership,’ said Imron on Thursday. According to him, UCJ coverage in West Jakarta has so far only reached 43.62 percent. ‘That means just over 23 percent remains for West Jakarta to reach the target,’ he added. He therefore requested BPJS Ketenagakerjaan to provide incentives to Perisai agents in carrying out their duties. ‘We have 578 RWs in West Jakarta, but only around 216 RWs have a Perisai agent. I have asked the village heads to identify which RW areas have not yet formed a Perisai agent. Data from the urban villages will later be reported to the mayor,’ he said. Meanwhile, Head of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Jakarta Grha Branch Office, Andry Rubiantara, noted that West Jakarta ranks fifth out of six areas in DKI Jakarta, with a UCJ achievement of 43.62 percent against the 66.72 percent target set by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. ‘This means there is still a gap of about 23.10 percent. This is our shared task, how we improve community welfare, especially for workers in West Jakarta,’ he said. At the sub-district level, Andry continued, Grogol Petamburan sub-district remains the highest in UCJ coverage, while Tambora sub-district is the lowest. ‘In fact, the Tambora area is a pilot project for the West Jakarta Mayor’s programme to improve people’s welfare. That area has many garment businesses, presenting a potential to encourage its workers to join BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membership,’ he explained.