May 21, 2026 | 11:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia announces remote work extension for civil servants. Government employees will now continue to work from home (WFH) every Friday for at least the next two months.Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto cites the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as a backdrop for the policy. "In a situation such as this, where the war has not ended, WFH will continue for the next two months," he said after a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, May 21, 2026.During the meeting, Airlangga said Prabowo also discussed various other economic policies, including the stimulus package prepared by the government."To drive the economy forward in the second quarter [of 2026]," he said.Earlier, the government implemented remote work once a week for civil servants starting from April 1, 2026, in a bid to save fuel amidst fluctuating oil prices triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. This policy also aims to encourage digital technology-based governance.Friday was chosen as the WFH day due to less workload. But some strategic sectors are exempted from the remote work policy, including healthcare, security, and sanitation.The WFH policy also does not apply to other strategic sectors such as industry or manufacture, energy, water, basic food and beverage, trade, transportation, as well as logistics and finance.The remote work policy for public and private employees initially emerged in mid-March 2026, when President Prabowo Subianto urged the government to adopt fuel-saving measures during a cabinet meeting.Prabowo considered the WFH policy as a precautionary measure against the impact of the global crisis, especially after the surge in global oil prices following the war that broke out late February 2026. Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to the writing of this article.Read: Govt Urges Indonesian Campuses to Adopt One-Day Weekly WFHClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
