Work From Home for Fuel Savings: Business Leaders Say One-Size-Fits-All Approach Won't Work
JAKARTA — The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Shinta Kamdani has stated that a work-from-home (WFH) scheme to conserve fuel cannot be applied uniformly across all sectors.
The proposal was previously presented by President Prabowo Subianto during a full cabinet meeting at the State Palace on Friday, 13 March 2026. Shinta noted that many real sectors such as manufacturing, trade, logistics, and field-based services require workers to be physically present on-site.
“If this proposal is eventually implemented, it certainly cannot be applied uniformly across all sectors,” said Shinta when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday, 16 March 2026.
“It needs to be adapted to the operational needs and characteristics of each company’s sector,” Shinta added.
The business leader urged the government to conduct more thorough research and open dialogue with entrepreneurs before implementing WFH policies for the civil service and private sector workers.
The aim is to ensure fuel conservation policies proceed without disrupting economic activity. “The business world is also monitoring the measures the government will take to maintain energy supply stability while managing fuel prices so they do not disrupt public economic activity,” Shinta said.
Previously, Prabowo instructed his cabinet ministers to study scenarios for implementing WFH and reducing working days to conserve fuel.
The directive was issued in response to surging global oil prices caused by the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. “We are grateful we are safe, but we must also continue to reduce our fuel consumption,” Prabowo said on Friday.
As is known, the Iran-US-Israel conflict has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a primary shipping route for oil and gas commodities from Gulf nations, which are major world oil suppliers.
Consequently, global oil prices have surged sharply from around 60 US dollars per barrel to approximately 115 US dollars per barrel. According to Trading Economics data, as of today, WTI crude oil prices stand at 96.968 US dollars per barrel.
The government has assumed crude oil purchases at 70 US dollars per barrel in its state budget. This means the rise in global crude oil prices could cause the budget deficit to balloon.