Indonesia's BPJS Ketenagakerjaan empowers worker families toward self-sufficiency through PEKA program

Indonesia's social security agency for workers, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, is extending its support beyond mere financial compensation, focusing on fostering economic independence for the families of its beneficiaries. Through its "Program Pemberdayaan Ekonomi dan Kemandirian" (PEKA), or Economic and Independence Empowerment Program, the agency aims to equip these families with the skills and resources needed to rebuild their lives and achieve self-sufficiency.

The PEKA program offers comprehensive entrepreneurship training, with recent sessions held at the UPTD BLK Manggarai Barat. Participants receive instruction in various culinary arts, food processing, product packaging, business financial management, and cost of production analysis. The curriculum is designed to enable beneficiaries to build sustainable businesses and create new income streams for their families.

Bambang Joko Sutarto, Director of Finance and Risk Management at BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, emphasized the program's philosophy of "Value Beyond Protection." He stated that while the agency's regulatory duty concludes with benefit payments, there is a moral obligation to ensure that beneficiary families can recover, become productive, establish businesses, earn income, and live more independently. This commitment goes beyond the immediate financial relief provided by compensation.

Sutarto highlighted that the loss of a breadwinner can halt a family's economic progress. Therefore, compensation should not be viewed as a sole short-term solution. The true measure of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's success lies not just in the amount of compensation disbursed, but in the ability of beneficiaries to regain their footing and achieve lasting economic stability through programs like PEKA.