JAKARTA — The government continues to take concrete steps to prevent mass layoffs amidst global economic pressure.
Airlangga University Chancellor, Prof. Mohammad Nasih, said that banking has a strategic role in encouraging investment to open up new jobs.
“Banking can be very potential in investment that results in the need for workers,” he said.
Prof. Nasih emphasized that investment not only encourages the growth of new businesses, but can also maintain the operations of ongoing companies so that they do not carry out layoffs.
“This investment can be in the form of funding to support programs or production processes that are already underway, so that layoffs can be avoided,” he said.
He also proposed that funds that have not been channeled to the productive sector be given low interest incentives.
“If there are banks that have had very high interest rates, they are given low interest rates for funds that have not been channeled to productive industries, then the workforce will move and the economy will also grow,” he added.
Meanwhile, labor observer Timboel Siregar highlighted the importance of synergy between all parties in preventing layoffs.
“Employers, workers, labor unions, and the government must work together to prevent layoffs from happening. If forced, the process must be transparent and according to the mechanism,” he explained.
In Central Java, Governor Ahmad Luthfi ordered the Manpower and Transmigration Office to form a Layoff Task Force as a preventive measure.
“The Layoff Task Force is a presidential order. It must be immediately understood well in our region. Form it immediately and formulate what must be done,” said Luthfi.
This task force will be on duty since the company shows early signs of difficulty (yellow category), not waiting until a crisis.
“We use it not when the company is bankrupt (red), but we have also deployed prevention efforts,” he said.
This strategic step shows the government’s seriousness in maintaining employment stability and preventing mass layoffs.***
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