Nearly Nine Million Indonesians Sign Up for Unemployment Benefits During Pandemic

Jakarta. More Indonesians have lost their jobs during the coronavirus crisis as the government's flagship unemployment benefits program, the pre-employment card, registered 8.6 million members by Tuesday.

The program doubles as a government safety net for people who have lost their employment during the pandemic. 

The program's executive director, Denni Puspa Purbasari, said the number shows the pre-employment card has already gained traction in the community. 

"I am heartened by the numbers. This means people know about the program and that registration is easy," he said during an online discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The government has accepted 168,111 participants for program's first wave and 288,154 for the second wave. 

Denni said the government had already transferred Rp 3.55 million ($224) as incentives to each of the second-wave participants on Tuesday.

The participants must sign up for one or more of the 2,000 online training courses available for the program to earn their incentives.

The courses are provided by 233 training institutions on eight digital platforms: Tokopedia, Skill Academy by Ruangguru, Maubelajarapa, Bukalapak, Pintaria, Sekolahmu, Pijarmahir and Sisnaker.

People intending to sign up for the third wave of the program are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. 

"Registration for the third wave will be closed on Thursday at 4 p.m," Denni said.

Denni is optimistic the pre-employment card would soon be able to reach more people and that the government can continue to improve its service and quality. 

"As long as it's managed properly, more people will sign up for it," he said.