TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Investment Minister or Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Bahlil Lahadalia assessed that at present, local workers could not be relied on to work in international standard companies or those with foreign capital.

“This is self-criticism for us, members of the DPR (House of Representatives), to together not blame each other but instead, we have to be able to socialize our work ethic,” said Bahlil during a hearing with the House Commission VI on Monday, February 6, 2023.

Bahlil said the work ethic and quality of local workers were still unable to compete and be relied upon to steadily pursue the productivity of a company.

“I'm sorry, I'm a former entrepreneur. We, on average, not all, in some areas have a 30-minute prayer break and an additional 15 minutes for a meal, so let's say it’s 40 minutes. But smoking and gossiping may take two hours and then working,” Bahlil said.

“This is self-criticism for us. I don't mean to blame anyone, but this is our homework. We may have demands but we must also know our obligations,” he added.

Bahlil underlined that many companies invested their money in high technology so that not a few of them did not absorb many workers. “On the one hand, companies need creativity. On the other hand, we need a large number of domestic workers. If productivity is not boosted, how can we achieve this.”

Previously, Minister Bahlil Lahadalia stated that high investment in the country did not necessarily open up the widest possible job opportunities for local workers. This was because this year’s challenges were greater compared to previous years.

“I must admit that the investment growth reaching over 30 percent is not directly proportional to the growth in employment opportunities,” he concluded.

ADE RIDWAN YANDWIPUTRA

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