Indonesia To Implement Weekly Work-From-Home Policy, Cut Travel From April 1
JAKARTA, March 31 (Bernama) -- Indonesia will implement a nationwide work-from-home policy for civil servants one day a week starting April 1, aiming to boost efficiency and cushion the impact of global economic pressures.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said the policy requires civil servants in both central and regional administrations to work from home every Friday, as part of an eight-point national work culture transformation to promote more efficient, productive and digitally driven practices.
He said the arrangement is expected to generate direct savings of about Rp6.2 trillion in fuel compensation, while reducing public fuel expenditure by up to Rp59 trillion through lower mobility.
“The government is taking adaptive and preventive measures to respond to global dynamics while ensuring the public remains calm and productive, as the national economy remains stable with strong fundamentals,” he said in a press conference, on Tuesday.
For the private sector, Airlangga said work-from-home (WFH) arrangements would be guided through a circular issued by the Manpower Ministry, taking into account the specific needs of each industry while promoting energy-saving practices.
He added that several sectors would be exempted and continue operating on-site, including essential public services such as healthcare, security and sanitation, as well as strategic sectors like energy, food supply, transportation, logistics and finance.
Beyond the WFH policy, the government will reduce official vehicle use by up to 50 per cent and scale back official travel, cutting domestic trips by up to 50 per cent and overseas travel by up to 70 per cent, while refocusing spending priorities.
“Budget cuts are made from less-priority expenditures such as official travel, meetings, non-operational spending, and ceremonial activities, and redirected towards more productive spending that has a direct impact on the public, including disaster rehabilitation and recovery in Sumatra.”
“The government continues to encourage the acceleration and sharpening of ministry and agency spending through budget optimisation. The potential prioritisation and refocusing of ministry and agency budgets ranges from Rp121.2 trillion to Rp130.2 trillion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Airlangga reaffirmed that schools will continue face-to-face learning five days a week, while higher education institutions will adopt flexible arrangements for senior students in line with ministry guidelines.
To boost energy independence and efficiency, Airlangga said the government will implement the B50 policy from July 1, 2026, which could cut fossil fuel use by 4 million kilolitres and save an estimated Rp48 trillion in subsidies.
He added that fuel purchases will be regulated through the MyPertamina barcode system, with a limit of 50 litres per vehicle, except for public transport.
-- BERNAMA
