Indonesia

In March 2006, at the request of the Indonesian Government, the Ministry of Manpower, the Senior Specialist in Vocational Rehabilitation undertook a week-long mission to Indonesia to provide technical advice about how to meet the training and employment provisions of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action: towards and Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities and to improve the employment situation for disabled persons in the country.

Meetings were held with the Ministry of Social Affairs, NGOs and the employers’ federation (APINDO), disabled persons’ organizations, and FSPSI Reformasi, the only trade union that has been involved in the disability issue. Meetings were also held to encourage the inclusion of disabled persons in tsunami related activities.

While the employment outcomes for Indonesians with disabilities cannot be adequately determined because of lack of data and follow-up, Indonesia has several strengths. A legislative and policy framework exists, a plan to implement it has been developed, a coordinating body meets regularly and government ministries have a history of coordination and coordinating ministries to foster their interaction.

ILO partners have been engaged in these efforts to some extent and there appears to be significant resources in the system. A disabled persons and advocacy movement is relatively well developed with a functional apex group. Indonesia has a history of using CBR approaches. Further, in the area of vocational training, institutional integration is beginning. The government appears to be taking the one percent hiring quota serious in its own hiring.

However, data collection and follow-up make it difficult to assess the situation for people with disabilities beyond those formally enrolled in services. Having developed services when a centre-based, segregated approach was the norm, Indonesia has many such centres and programmes, but there is no centralized system for registering job seekers with disabilities. The decentralization of power has resulted in some centrally-administered facilities being underutilized.  

The Government is interested in developing its job placement services and to provide services for those who participate in the informal economy or who will become self-employed. APINDO also plans to undertake some activities related to disabled persons.

Indonesia sent representatives to ILO regional meetings, such as the ILO Expert Group Meeting on Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Vocational Training and the ILO/ESCAP Multinational Corporation Roundtable on Disability and Employment.

Indonesia participated in both the ILO 14-country country study project and the ILO Technical Consultation on Vocational Training and Employment of People with Disabilities, 14-16 January in Bangkok. A good practice from Indonesia is published in the ILO publication of good practices, Moving Forward.

For information about employment and training in Indonesia, consult the following:

• YAKKUM Rehabilitation Centre
  Beyond Coconut Shells --- Finding Vocational Solutions for Adults with Mild to Severe Disabilities in Indonesia’s Rural Areas Affected by the Financial Crisis (pdf)

For more information about disability related laws and policies and the country consult our National Laws and Information pages.

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