Jakarta (ANTARA) - Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah affirmed that to provide protection to the workforce and expedite economic recovery, the government had decided to distribute Wage Subsidy Assistance (BSU) in 2022 to workers, with salaries below Rp3.5 million.

"This BSU aims to protect and maintain the workers' economic welfare and improve people's purchasing power as a tool to increase our economic growth," Fauziyah noted in a press statement received here, Wednesday.

The minister remarked that the number of positive cases and death rates due to COVID-19 in Indonesia had decreased significantly, though the impact of the pandemic on the economy was still being felt.

In addition, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the dynamics of global politics also affected the global economic recovery and had an impact on global inflation. Rising commodity and energy prices put pressure on the national economic recovery that affected the employment conditions.

Earlier, the Ministry of Manpower had distributed BSU in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, BSU was focused on workers, with wages below Rp5 million.

In 2021, BSU targeted workers, with wages below Rp3.5 million, and affected by the community mobility restriction policies. If the area's minimum wage was higher than the amount, the applicable minimum wage limit was used.

Fauziyah remarked that in 2022, workers with wages below Rp3.5 million were allowed to receive BSU. The BSU recipient database was using the BPJS Employment participant data.

The government has allocated the 2022 BSU budget of Rp8.8 trillion, with an allocation of assistance per recipient of Rp1 million.

"The details of the criteria and mechanism for the 2022 BSU are being discussed by the Ministry of Manpower," Fauziyah stated.

Currently, the ministry is preparing all policy instruments for implementing the 2022 BSU to ensure that the program can be run quickly, precisely, accurately, and accountably.

The ministry is also finalizing several other aspects, such as the 2022 BSU technical regulations, submitting, and revising the budget with the Finance Ministry as well.

"We must also review the data of prospective recipients with BPJS Employment and coordinate with state-owned banks (Himbara) to distribute the aid," she noted.

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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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