Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has defended the practice of setting maximum age limits for certain job applications in Indonesia, arguing that some positions require younger employees due to physical health considerations.
Additionally, the business group noted that some companies need age caps to simplify the hiring process, especially when there are large applicant pools.
"In Indonesia, if there are only 10 job openings, it's likely that 1,000 applicants will show up. Should we screen all of them? That would be costly," said Apindo labor affairs chair Bob Azam on Tuesday.
The statement came in response to comments by Manpower Minister Yassierli, who expressed hope for an end to age discrimination in recruitment, advocating for equal opportunities for all. The minister pledged to review all regulations related to age restrictions in job applications.
"We don't want any discrimination. We want all job opportunities to be open to everyone," Yassierli said on May 8, as quoted by Antara.
A similar stance has been taken by the East Java provincial government, which recently issued a circular prohibiting age limits in recruitment processes.
Bob Azam from Apindo explained that the introduction of age limits in job applications stemmed from the imbalance between the number of job seekers and available job openings. To address this issue, he suggested that the focus should be on expanding job opportunities.
In comparison, companies in neighboring Singapore did not apply any age limit as there were more job openings than applicants, he said.
Indonesian Textile Association (API) chairman Jemmy Kartiwa shared a similar view, recalling that in the 1990s, textile companies struggled to find workers due to a limited talent pool. Back then, they had to offer higher salaries and even pay headhunters to fill positions as basic as operator roles.
However, as the talent pool has grown, the situation has reversed, with job seekers sometimes resorting to bribes just to secure employment.
"So, how do we solve this? Job creation," Jemmy said at the same event.
The gap between the number of job applicants and available positions may be worsened this year due to job cuts across multiple industries. According to a report from the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI), around 60,000 workers from 50 unionized companies lost their jobs in January and February alone.
This figure nearly matches the official total layoff figure for all of 2024, which the Manpower Ministry estimated at 77,965, albeit labor and employers groups believe the real figure may be higher.
President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to improve workers' welfare and promote stronger labor protections amid dissatisfaction over labor conditions and concerns of more job losses as he addressed hundreds of thousands of workers rallying at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta to mark International Workers' Day, or May Day, on May 1.
Amid mounting dissatisfaction over labor conditions and fears of further job cuts, Prabowo promised to form a layoff task force that will prevent arbitrary dismissals of employees and ensure companies adhere to fair labor practices, as demanded by the workers attending the May Day rally.