Socialization of the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN)
FEB Unila | The University of Lampung in collaboration with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs through the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPC-PEN) held a Seminar with the theme “Maintaining the Momentum for National Economic Recovery through Increasing the Competitiveness of the Labor Sector”. The seminar, which was held on December 10, 2020, is part of KPC-PEN’s efforts to socialize the Job Creation Law, especially its role in encouraging increased competitiveness of Indonesian workers.
The event was opened by the Vice Rector of Unila, Dr. dr. Asep Sukohar, M.Kes, welcomed the collaboration in this seminar. He also hopes that this seminar can become a forum for academics, stakeholders, policy makers, and development actors to have a healthy discussion. In the future, this seminar is expected to become a routine agenda carried out as a form of collaboration between the Central Government and the University. Dr. Asep Sukohar also reminded the importance of implementing health protocols as an effort to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 to support national economic recovery.
Furthermore, in the introductory discussion session, the Executive Secretary of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery, Raden Pardede, Phd said that COVID-19 poses a challenge to the national economy so that the Government responded by issuing various strategies and policies. The government implemented a dual strategy to face these challenges, namely saving life (health) as the main and saving life (economy). “From the budget side, we can see that there has never been such massive government assistance in the history of the Republic of Indonesia to the middle to lower class groups,” he said. With regard to employment, he explained that Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation is a medium-long-term strategy and as a game changer in the context of national economic recovery through increasing the competitiveness of Indonesian workers.
In the presentation session, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan as the Special Staff of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy explained the importance of the Job Creation Law in facing the dynamics of the global economy, one of which is the industrial revolution 4.0. He added that the 4.0 industrial revolution made the world more connected without boundaries and minimized information asymmetry which allowed Indonesia to imitate, adapt and diffuse technology from the country in a faster time than the previous industrial revolution. “In principle we need to make flexible yet secure regulations by taking from work flexibility, welfare protection systems, and active work policies,” he said. It is hoped that the existence of the Job Creation Law will be able to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian workers in facing the dynamics and global challenges going forward.
Then, Prof. Dr. Taufiq Marwa, M.Si added about the opportunities and challenges in overcoming the impact of COVID-19 on the labor sector. He explained that there were 1.7 million workers who had been validated to experience layoffs and were laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the impacted business sector in general which is a labor-intensive sector, namely textiles, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, aviation / travel services, and retail. “After the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges faced by the labor sector are the large number of new job seekers, increasing unemployment, slowing recovery in the labor-intensive sector, and unstable agricultural commodity prices,” he said. Even so, he added that there were new business opportunities after the COVID-19 pandemic, namely businesses in the health sector, digital marketing, online sales services, technology and information, and culinary / food.
Dr. Marselina Djayasinga, SE., MPM further highlighted the role of the world of education in increasing labor productivity. She started by giving an explanation of the basic concepts of productivity. “When it comes to competitiveness, it’s productivity,” she said. From an academic point of view, she explained the important elements in order to increase labor competitiveness, namely development, readiness and labor entry. She also provided input on the importance of links and matches between the world of education and industry through adaptive education policies. “Pak Jokowi and the Minister have made an independent campus policy, independent learning,” she said. Mrs. Marselina also added that there is a synergy between the role of the university and the role of the industrial world.
In closing the seminar, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan said that adjustments to the labor regulations contained in the Job Creation Law are expected to improve the employment climate through the creation of new jobs amid the various dynamics that occur in the global and domestic economy.
