Is Labor Under Threat?

Workers always bear the brunt of any economic recession. Companies such as Ford Motor Indonesia, Panasonic Lighting, Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia and Chevron Pacific Indonesia have begun streamlining their operations, affecting some 1,300 workers in Jakarta and its environs, as well as in South Kalimantan and South Sulawesi, per labor ministry data.

Massive layoffs have become an exceedingly sensitive issue for Joko Widodo's government as it can be seen as a failure to provide employment for its people, particularly when the layoffs are linked to the president's campaign promises.