"We are hopeful for our journalists, and we hope the media industry does not lay them off," Ebenezer said at a press conference at the ministry's building here on Monday.
As media is the democracy's "fifth pillar" protected by national law, journalists' welfare should be preserved to maintain democracy in Indonesia, he added.
However, since the digitization trend in the media industry is accelerating, media workers, especially journalists, are increasingly vulnerable to dismissal, he noted.
"Nonetheless, we hope there will be no lay-off 'storms' that affect the workers," he said.
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The deputy minister appealed to journalists who are laid off to engage with the ministry for assistance. "If any lay-off occurs in their company, (journalists) can inform us," he added.
"Our support should not be focused solely on factory workers. Attention should also be given to journalists considering the importance of their works," Ebenezer said.
Data from the Manpower Ministry indicates that 67,870 workers were affected by lay-offs in the January–November 2024 period. Jakarta accounted for the most lay-off at 21.37 percent during the period.
Lay-offs have eroded the purchasing power of the middle class and emerged as one of the causes of the decline in sales in the nation's retail sector.
Related news: Ministry trains to open MSMEs to anticipate layoffs before recession
Translator: M Baqir Idrus A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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