Will Indonesia Adopt 45-Hour Workweek? Apindo Responds
Will Indonesia Adopt 45-Hour Workweek? Apindo Responds
Reporter
October 8, 2026 | 11:35 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) clarifies the proposal to increase working hours to 45 hours per week, after the government passes the Labor Protection Bill into law.
Apindo’s Chairperson, Shinta Kamdani, says her association has never proposed or pushed for this workweek change in the country. It was merely a result of comparison with several neighboring countries in Asia, such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
“I think there has been a misunderstanding. We were only comparing various Asian countries with Indonesia. So there may have been a misunderstanding that we are imposing an increase in working hours; that is not the context,” Shinta says, as quoted by Antara on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
What’s the purpose of Apindo’s study?
The comparative study maps out competition and labor regulations at the regional level, as Apindo believes Indonesia must maintain industrial competitiveness with neighboring countries.
“Not only in Indonesia, but other countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. That is what we proposed in the comparative study. The labor side also did [a similar study], so they also understand the conditions in other countries,” Shinta says.
The competition mapping, according to her, is necessary for creating a regulation framework to allow stakeholders the precise understanding of regional labor standards.
Meanwhile, on the Labor Protection Law, Shinta says she has yet to receive a copy or the official draft of the document. Therefore, she cannot provide a response yet.
The Indonesian parliament has passed the Labor Protection Bill into law about three weeks before the deadline set by the Constitutional Court (MK). This approval was made during the 9th Plenary Meeting of the DPR for the First Session Year 2026–2027 at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
The current workweek regulation in Indonesia is outlined in the Job Creation Law.
Two 40-hour workweek schemes are applicable to Indonesian companies: The first is 7 working hours a day for 6 working days with one day off. The second scheme is 8 working hours a day over 5 working days with two days off.
Read: Indonesia’s Minister Responds to Proposed 45-Hour Workweek
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