TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said that the implementation of the public housing savings (Tapera) law would hamper new workers absorption due to high cost for companies.
Apindo chairman Hariyadi B. Sukamdani said that the increasing cost would encourage companies to halt new employee recruitment. Hariyadi added that the rising number of Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) subscribers had caused the employee absorption rate to decline. Earlier in March, the number of workers dropped by about 20,000 when compared to last year.
According to Hariyadi, the condition could worsen if the government insisted on implementing the Tapera bill. Data shows that averagely 2.5 million new workers per year may not be able to find jobs.
"The Tapera program is tough. If [the government] insisted to implement the program, it would add more burdens for us [employers], which in turn would affect employees," Hariyadi said on Thursday, April 28, 2016.
Hariyadi revealed that employers had been in communications with the government to find a solution for the housing program. Hariyadi said that Apindo had no plans yet to lodge a lawsuit against the Tapera bill with the Constitutional Court.
Reports said that the amount of Tapera subscription would reach three percent of the salary that would be proportionally imposed to workers and employers. The amount would be set in a government regulation upon a deliberation between the government and employers.
Haryadi said that the new burden would harm the business community. Hariyadi suggested that the challenge of providing long-term funds for housing could be addressed by optimizing the BPJS pension fund, instead of crafting a new program for housing.
BISNIS.COM
