September 19, 2022
JAKARTA – The Group of 20 (G20) Labor and Employment Ministers Meeting (LEMM) in Jimbaran Bali earlier this week has agreed on a plan to accelerate the development of an inclusive labor market for people with disabilities.
The group members agreed on Wednesday the Action Plan on Accelerating and Monitoring the G20 Principles for the Labor Market Integration of Persons with Disabilities.
Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the need for a commitment to supervise the implementation of the principles.
“In addition, monitoring the implementation and integration of persons with disabilities into the labor market should be based on a list of indicators that will be analyzed and submitted by the ILO and OECD, reported every four years,” Ida said.
The inclusive labor market document was part of the so-called Bali commitments agreed by the G20 manpower ministers which included at least five agreement documents for the global employment policy.
Another agreement was to increase human resources capacity and productivity by implementing life-long learning, which pays attention to local needs and inclusive community participation, through Community-Based Vocational Training (CBVT).
“CBVT offers an inclusive and sustainable vocational training approach,” Ida said.
Three other agreements were on commitment in bolstering the inclusive and sustainable employment opportunities, through development and support for the entrepreneurship and MSME programs: on granting adaptive labor protection for all workers in response to the world of work changes, on developing integrated governance to ensure every citizen gets a decent basic education and access to continuous skill improvement.
“These documents, which are expected to be guidelines for considering labor policy making, are definitely applicable not only for G20 countries, but also developing countries,” Ida emphasized.
The minister said that as the G20 LEMM chair, she has heard a lot of feedback and views during the meeting, related to global labor market conditions which still face challenges and uncertainty in the post-pandemic era.
In addition to the five documents, the meeting also produced Joint Statements Labor 20 (L20) and Business 20 (B20).
“Ministers, heads of delegations and international organizations appreciate the commitment of both social partners in establishing harmonious industrial relations and mainstreaming social dialogue to encounter future employment challenges,” she said.
“B20 and L20 collaborate to overcome global and geopolitical challenges through the preparation of tripartite recommendations which encourages reform in employment conditions, especially to address gaps in employment opportunities and conditions between developed and developing countries,” B20 Indonesia Chair Shinta Kamdani emphasized.
Attending the meeting virtually from Jakarta, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin underlined the urgency to strengthen social protection for workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the best ways to accomplish this, he said, was by ensuring the fulfillment of workers’ rights through the adaptive assistance and support based on the conditions that occurred.
“The adaptive assistance and support in Indonesia is part of the National Economic Recovery Program, in the form of wage subsidy assistance program, the pre-work card Program, the micro business productive assistance program and the labor intensive program,” the Vice Presidentsaid.
In addition to direct assistance, Ma’ruf also said it’s crucial to strengthen the workers’ innovation and literacy capabilities, particularly in areas that will create new jobs in the future, such as digital technology and the green economy. (dre)