The Indonesian Employers Association is urging the government to strengthen supervision of the outsourcing worker system by tightening certification of supplier companies.
Head of the Apindo Manpower Division, Bob Azam, in Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra, Thursday, stated that strengthening the outsourcing scheme could protect formal workers from switching to informal jobs that do not have employment protection.
"Don't let the elimination of outsourcing actually eliminate job opportunities," he said.
He said that by increasing supervision of certification in distribution companies, the government can ensure that outsourcing workers receive their rights according to regulations, such as being registered for BPJS social security, and wages paid accordingly.
"Actually, what is urgent now is not the elimination of outsourcing, but the creation of jobs," he said.
Furthermore, he explained, Indonesia can learn from countries that are strong in the outsourcing system. India, for example, is known as a supplier of world technology outsourcing, and the Philippines as an outsourcer in the teleservices sector, as well as nurses.
Paramadina University economist Wijayanto Samirin said that certainty of guarantees for workers is the main improvement that needs to be considered in the outsourcing system.
When contacted in Jakarta, Thursday, Wijayanto was of the opinion that eliminating outsourcing was not the right choice amidst the slowing business dynamics.