"Seniors have extraordinary experience, so when you employ elderly people based on their potential, the experience is even better," Acting Director of Social Rehabilitation of the ministry, Pepen Nazaruddin, stated in Jakarta, Thursday.
He remarked that empowering the elderly to work again was a good effort, considering that Indonesia's life expectancy is also quite high, above 70 years.
Hence, he underscored the need for a special categorization for elderly people who are still productive in order to provide an opportunity for them to work again.
Nazaruddin believes that those between the ages of 60 and 65 are by and large healthy and can still contribute in their own ways. He pointed out that being placed in the elderly category would make the senior citizens feel as though they could not do anything.
However, Nazaruddin appealed to elderly workers or employers to pay attention to the work hours and type for those from that group.
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He said the work allowed for elderly people is one that is not too physically demanding in nature, such as teaching or, more likely, involving the use of the brain.
"The elderly are not a social problem but rather have social potential if they can still develop," he affirmed.
Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini separately lauded all parties who gave the elderly the opportunity to continue to work at an age when they are no longer young.
"We are happy. It is just that the numbers are limited, so we have to create activities and other activities to fill the free time they (the elderly) have, so that they can be more productive and then happier," she stated.
Recently, several companies have employed elderly people and opened job vacancies, especially for senior citizens, wherein general job vacancies are only specific to certain age groups.
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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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