Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower said talks with the House of Representatives on the Worker Protection Bill are still under way and have not produced a final draft. The bill’s Daftar Inventarisasi Masalah (DIM), or inventory of issues, has expanded from around 1,850 to more than 2,100 during discussions between the government and parliament. Indah Anggoro Putri, the ministry’s director general for industrial relations and workers’ social security, said no completed file exists and urged the public not to treat circulating documents as the final version.
The bill was initiated by the House. The government received its concept on August 27, 2026, and on September 1 the president assigned seven ministries to discuss it with lawmakers: Manpower; Law; the State Secretariat; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Home Affairs; Industry; and Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.
Government input includes wages and social security for micro-sector workers, training, apprenticeships and outsourcing. Officials want the bill’s protections to reach beyond factory and office employees. Discussions also cover people affected by technological change, digital-platform workers, fishers, care-economy workers, elderly-care workers, artists and employees of micro, small and medium businesses. The government is also pressing for labor productivity to be addressed and for severance guarantees when workers are dismissed, including if an employer goes bankrupt.
Putri said the government supports limiting which jobs can be outsourced, though the specific categories are still being discussed with the House. At a September 26 seminar in Bogor, GREAT Institute director Syahganda Nainggolan said the bill appeared to strengthen worker protections but urged unions and the public to monitor the process through completion. House Commission IX member Obon Tabroni also called for union participation and unity. Topics in the talks include employment relations, pay, protections for women workers and apprenticeships.