Jakarta (ANTARA) - Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah has launched a program to develop and expand employment opportunities through the Social Safety Net (JPS) as one of the strategic steps to deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

"The COVID-19 pandemic does not only affect health, but also weakens the economy, which is marked by production decline, layoffs, and the people's purchasing power drop," Ida Fauziyah said in a statement here on Sunday .

Hence, the JPS program was launched to ease the burden on people and workers who were economically affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, she remarked.

The JPS programs at the Ministry of Manpower included of the Independent Manpower program (TKM) for the creation of entrepreneurs and labor-intensive activities that could provide options for those affected by the pandemic, the minister added.

The entrepreneurial creation program aims to create jobs for the community through empowerment and sustainable activities.

In addition, there is also a labor intensive program, which is a community empowerment program targeting unemployed and underemployed, through the construction of public facilities and community productivity facilities by involving a large number of workers.

The ministry's programs help micro, small and medium scale enterprises to survive in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Manpower through the Directorate for Development and Expansion of Employment Opportunities as of Oct 2, 2020, has distributed TKM program assistance to a total of 1,985 entrepreneurial groups involving 39,700 people and 1,091 labor-intensive groups involving 21,820 people.

The recipients of the aid will receive sustainable training courses assisted directly by the Ministry of Manpower.
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Translator: Prisca TV, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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