TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, has budgeted IDR 10 trillion to anticipate the surge in unemployment, resulting from many companies laying off their employees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget would be realized in the form of pre-employment cards, revealed Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in a limited video conference meeting, pertaining to the President's Directives to Governors Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"The pre-employment card implementation card will begin immediately to anticipate workers who are laid off," said Jokowi.

Furthermore, the pre-employment card program, the President added, will be directed for daily workers who have lost their income and micro entrepreneurs who have turned deficit, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"A budget of Rp 10 trillion has been prepared so that the provinces can support who needs to be given, by beginning to properly record (the recipients)," he stated.

For this reason, Jokowi requested the Regional Governments to immediately conduct mapping and data collection of prospective pre-employment card recipients in their regions.

"The point is, there are three things that we are focusing on; first is safety, health is the main (priority). However, (we need to ) prepare the second, a 'social safety net', so please prepare social assistance," Jokowi said in explaining the government’s focus in facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thirdly, Jokowi wants the government to carefully calculate the economic impacts of the pandemic, ensuring readiness in the provision of food supplies.

ANTARA | DIO SUHENDA (INTERN TRANSLATOR)