Jakarta, Feb. 13 -- State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir voiced his commitment to protecting his employees from possible layoffs resulting from financial pressure following President Prabowo Subianto's budget efficiency policy.

"We have not yet reduced the number of employees until today. With the available budget, we will try to keep our employees, including office boys and security guards," he remarked during a meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Thursday.

As a result of the president's policy, the budget ceiling of the SOEs Ministry has been slashed from Rp277.4 billion (US$17 million) to Rp161.9 billion (US$9.8 million).

In addition to eluding layoffs, Thohir affirmed that ...