West Java Targets 10 Million Informal Workers for BPJS Employment Social Security

The West Java provincial government is targeting the expansion of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (Workers Social Security) membership among informal sector workers and vulnerable labourers to reach 10 million people, as a tactical instrument to sever the chain of extreme poverty in the region. The focus of this social security expansion is the informal segment, which has so far remained untouched by mandatory regulations, unlike health insurance which is legally binding. “BPJS Kesehatan is already a legal obligation. What is not yet a legal obligation is BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. So, we will work on what has not yet become a legal obligation,” said Dedi Mulyadi in a statement in Bandung on Friday. “If all the people of West Java who are not members of the military, police, state-owned enterprise employees, civil servants, or company employees who are not protected by employment insurance are all covered, then there will be no more poverty in West Java,” Dedi stated. To realise this target, the West Java provincial government will gradually increase the social security budget allocation according to the region’s fiscal capacity, relying on cross-line synergy from the provincial, district/city, to village government levels. “For example, this year we cover one million, hopefully in the future it can be two or three million. God willing, we can reach 10 million,” he said. This commitment was also expressed during the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Beneficiary Appreciation event at the Pakuan Building complex in Bandung on Thursday (18/6), where BPJS Ketenagakerjaan together with the West Java provincial government also distributed total benefits amounting to Rp49.3 billion, handed directly to 1,515 participants. Dedi highlighted several real cases in the field where this instrument successfully saved residents’ economies from bankruptcy after workplace accidents. One case involved a construction worker who died and received Rp42 million in compensation after all his medical expenses were fully covered by the insurance system. Another highlighted case was a resident who survived after being run over by a container truck. “I met again with the man who had the accident of being run over by a container, his hospital bill of Rp442 million was fully paid by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, plus a guarantee after he was discharged from hospital and unable to work, of Rp1 million per month,” Dedi said. Responding to this commitment, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan’s Director of Human Capital and General Affairs, Harjono Siswanto, expressed high appreciation for the acceleration of the Universal Coverage Jamsostek (UCJ) achievement in West Java, which he deemed worthy of being a national pilot. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan is committed to strengthening collaboration in the regions through various schemes, including the option of financing subsidies from local governments to secure the most vulnerable worker groups. “We continue to collaborate and synergise between the provincial government, district/city governments, and the ranks of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan in the regions to expand worker protection, including through subsidies from local governments. We are optimistic that this good practice will soon be replicated in other regions outside West Java,” he said.