Jakarta – Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has said he is formulating a strategy to reduce the number of unproductive civil servants amid the current work-from-home policy implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that many civil servents had been less productive while working from home as they were unable to complete their usual tasks and responsibilities.
"We need a strategy to reduce the number of those who are not productive," he said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.
Tjahjo said that unproductive workers placed a heavier burden on their colleagues.
"Those who are productive during the work-from-home period are overloaded with work, as they are forced to do the tasks their colleagues fail to deliver," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician added.
Indonesia, he explained, had an excess of civil servants, but still had a lack of capable staff. "Too many, but not enough. We need a drastic change in the required competencies for future recruitment," Tjahjo added.
He said his ministry would continue to coordinate with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) to find the right solution. The two institutions, he said, had agreed to reformat the civil service management system around a new-normal policy.
Reform in civil servant numbers and their required competencies would lead to a significant boost in their remuneration, he added. (dpk).