Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Manpower Minister Yassierli is championing equal opportunities for persons with disabilities, emphasizing their right to work, develop competencies, and advance their careers.
This, he said, is vital to building an inclusive workforce for all Indonesian citizens.
“Persons with disabilities are not objects of pity. They are active subjects in development who hold equal rights to work, create, and contribute their best to the nation based on their abilities,” Yassierli said in a statement on Monday.
He noted that a country’s progress should not be measured by economic growth alone, but also by its capacity to provide equal employment opportunities for the people.
Minister Yassierli acknowledged that job seekers with disabilities still face immense hurdles in the labor market.
Citing International Labour Organization (ILO) data presented at the 2025 Global Disability Summit, he pointed out that the global labor force participation rate for persons with disabilities remains roughly 30 percent lower than that of non-disabled individuals.
Furthermore, youth with disabilities face nearly double the risk of not being in education, employment, or training.
This reality, he continued, demonstrates that the core challenge is no longer just creating jobs, but establishing a system that fairly evaluates each individual’s abilities without discrimination.
He affirmed that, to address this issue, the Ministry of Manpower is focusing on three main pillars: competency-based recruitment, workplace accommodations, and accessible employment services for all job seekers.
The minister added that artificial intelligence must be utilized to expand employment opportunities rather than create new barriers for persons with disabilities.
On the regulatory front, the government continues to reinforce protections through Law No. 8/2016, which mandates a hiring quota for persons with disabilities of at least 2 percent for government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and region-owned enterprises, and 1 percent for private companies.
This mandate is further supported by Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 8/2026 on the Conferment of Awards for the Respect, Protection, and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
He underscored that the success of these policies requires the active support of the business sector.
The minister stressed that inclusivity must be part of human resource development strategies to ensure persons with disabilities have equal opportunities to grow and advance their careers.
“Inclusivity is not just about regulatory compliance. More importantly, it is about building a workplace culture that gives everyone space to thrive based on their competencies and performance,” Yassierli said.
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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