Instruction criticised for lack of enforcement
The Indonesian government is asking domestic and foreign employers to remove age restrictions in their job ads in a bid to improve employment outcomes.
The directive was issued in a circular signed by the country's Ministry of Manpower last week, Bloomberg reported.
Exceptions to the instructions are given to situations where age is relevant to the vacant position, according to the report. However, the criteria must still avoid unfairly disadvantaging applicants.
Immanuel Ebenezer, deputy minister of manpower, said the restrictions have long contributed to "legitimising unemployment and poverty."
"Employers want comfort, we will deliver that. We will eliminate thuggery and burdensome regulations. But we also ask for cooperation — to help our fellow citizens," Ebenezer told Bloomberg.
Indonesia's unemployment rate is currently at 4.76%, equivalent to 7.28 million jobless people, Trading Economics reported.
Indonesia's circular is not legally binding, and non-compliant employers cannot be fined through the instruction.
However, the government is reported to be drafting a ministerial regulation that would define discriminatory hiring practices, such as on appearance, marital status, religion, or ethnicity.
"We are drafting a ministerial regulation that may include sanctions for non-compliant companies," Ebenezer told Bloomberg.
Indonesia joins the list of employers that are asking age restrictions to be removed in job ads. Singapore's Tripartite Guidelines also urge employers to avoid using age as a selection criterion unless required.
But employer groups in Indonesia reportedly have concerns that the directive could fuel an influx of applicants, while labour unions called for regulations to enforce the directive, Bloomberg reported.
Leigh McKiernon, a management consultant in Indonesia and founder of StratEx, said the government's decision is a "step in the right direction."
"But a step forward is not the same as reaching the destination," he said on LinkedIn.
"This policy lacks the muscle to drive real change. Without being written into law, and without systems to train employers, review practices, and hold companies accountable, it becomes a nudge that can be easily ignored."
The Indonesian government has been introducing a variety of labour policy reforms, including prohibiting employers from withholding workers' original diplomas and personal documents.
