Indonesia has distributed social protection assistance of up to Rp186.64 trillion to ease the burden on the community, including workers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said.

Social assistance covers assistance distributed under the family hope program and through staple food cards, direct cash assistance, and electricity subsidies, he said.

"We have allocated at least Rp186.64 trillion for social protection," he said in his remarks at the ILO Global Forum for a Human-Centred Recovery from COVID-19, accessed online from Jakarta on Wednesday.

The President said that social protection assistance must continue to be strengthened for workers. According to him, currently, 4.14 billion people, or 53.1 percent of the world's population do not have any social protection.

In addition to fiscal budget support, the implementation of the social protection program also requires a high level of political commitment, he said.

"In Indonesia, social protection is an important part of the national economic recovery program, including the family hope program, staple food cards, direct cash assistance, and electricity subsidies," he added.

President Jokowi also invited ILO members to create a safe working environment for workers. One way to do this is by stepping up COVID-19 vaccinations for workers and families, for those working in the formal as well as the informal sector, he said.

He also asked ILO members to work together to create new jobs.

"Partiality and innovation are needed to create more job opportunities," he remarked.

Furthermore, he advised ILO members to strengthen the competitiveness of workers for facing future challenges along with building human resource capabilities, especially in digital literacy education. That way, workers can survive in the midst of a digital transformation wave, he explained.

"The Indonesian government has launched a pre-employment card for job seekers, as well as those who have dropped out of work to acquire new skills, or unlock entrepreneurial potential," President Jokowi said.  (Antaranews)