Wage Subsidy Disbursement for Workers Reaches 93.34%, Manpower Minister Says
Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah (Photo by : Documentation of Cabinet Public Relations of Setkab).
As of 14 December 2020, the total disbursement of wage subsidy assistance (BSU) for workers from Batch 1 and Batch 2 has reached 93.34 percent of the total targeted beneficiaries or Rp 27.96 trillion.
“We inform you that wage subsidy disbursement has entered the second batch. Based on the data as of 14 December, the disbursement realization has reached Rp 27.96 trillion (93.94 percent),” Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah said in a written statement, Wednesday (16/12).
According to the Minister, Batch 1 has been distributed to 12.26 million workers (98.86 percent) with a total of Rp 14.71 trillion, while, Batch 2 has been distributed to 11.04 million workers (89 percent) amounting to Rp 13.2 trillion.
On all batches of disbursement, she said, wage assistance program has yet to meet a 100 percent target due to data issues, making the disbursement hampered, especially in the first batch.
“The realization has not reached a 100 percent target yet. According to the banks that channel the funds, Batch 1 has a number of problematic bank accounts that cannot be transferred. The return accounts will be sent back to the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) to be resolved,” Ida said.
The BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, she added, has its own mechanism to resolve the data issues, adding thatif the data has been updated, the banks that channel the funds will return to disburse the assistance.
Ida went on to say that before Batch 2 continues to be carried out, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has provided recommendations to Ministry of Manpower and the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan to match recipient data with the help of the Finance Ministry’s Taxation Directorate General (DJP).
In addition to matching the recipient data, the Ministry will also carry out monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that the disbursement is right on target, she added.
“Based on the recommendations of the KPK, the Ministry cooperates with the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan to coordinate with the DJP to perform data matching. This move is part of the efforts to ensure that the assistance is well-targeted,” she said.
After the data matching is completed, she continued, Batch 2 can be continued. The process is still ongoing. “Please be patient because the disbursement period is scheduled until the end of December,” she added.
Ministry of Manpower has also requested assistance from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), and the KPK to ensure that the program runs in a transparent and accountable manner.
“We will be audited by the BPK and the BPKP as well as monitored by the KPK. We will also ensure that no funds are deposited in the Ministry. If there are some funds remain, all of them must be returned to the state treasury account,” Ida stressed.
For the record, the wage subsidy assistance program has started since August this year with a target of 15.7 million workers. However, once the verification and validation are submitted by the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan to the Ministry, there will be only 12.4 million eligible workers can receive the assistance.
“Therefore, we will return the remaining funds to the state treasury account to be used as an aid for non-tenured teachers through each institution, namely Ministry of Education and Culture and Ministry of Religious Affairs,” Ida said.
Based on the recipient data, the workers’ average salary stood at around Rp 3 million. Most recipients of wage subsidy assistance are located in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Banten, and North Sumatra. Meanwhile, the data also shows that as many as 413,649 companies whose employees received the assistance.
“The total assistance provided to each worker is Rp 600 thousand for four months or a total of Rp 2.4 million. The assistance will be disbursed through two batches. Each batch is worth Rp 1.2 million,” she said.
Batch 1 is disbursed in the September-October 2020 period, while Batch 2 is disbursed in the November-December 2020 period and is still running.
The Minister expressed hope that the wage subsidy assistance and other economic recovery programs which is still ongoing can boost economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2020.
“Last, I remind all of you to stay healthy, to wear a mask, to wash your hands, and to keep your distance. We pray to Allah SWT to end the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia,” she added. (PR of Manpower Ministry/UN) (RIF/EP)
