Jakarta, May 30 -- Indonesia's Labour Party and a coalition of trade unions have called for the establishment of a national layoff task force, an independent body tasked with providing accurate data and crafting a coordinated strategy to address issues relating to layoffs.

According to Labour Party President Said Iqbal, at least 70,000 workers in Indonesia lost their jobs between January and April as more than 80 companies implemented layoffs. The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has warned that this number could surge to 250,000 by the end of the year.

Figures from Apindo and state employment insurer BPJS Ketenagakerjaan showed that approximately 73,000 people withdrew their pension benefits, a measure permitted only in cases ...