People with disabilities could, for the first time, connect directly with potential employers in Central Java, Indonesia’s most populous province, through a dedicated job fair organized jointly by the Ministry of Manpower and ILO.

Around 500 jobseekers attended the December 2022 event, which was supported by the Indonesian Employers’ Association (APINDO) and Kerjabilitas, the country’s largest online job search platform for persons with disabilities. 172 attendees were able to find a job on the spot, with an additional 79 receiving job counselling from Kerjabilitas.

“Workers with disabilities have a high working performance, high productivity and a high level of enthusiasm,” said Jayatun, a recruiter from PT Pan Brothers, one of Indonesia’s largest garment exporters.

Twenty-seven companies attended the fair, most of them from the garment, food and beverage, tour and travel, retail, and manufacturing sectors. The job fair also included training programmes for representatives of companies’ human resources departments on hiring workers with disabilities.

National legislation requires companies to hire at least 1% of their workforce from among people with disabilities. The ILO, in cooperation with provincial offices of the national government, provides support to companies, so that they can meet this obligation.

“Persons with disabilities face challenges in finding work due to a lack of information and a lack of self-confidence. Job fairs like this, which are exclusive to people with disabilities, can provide them with much greater access to employment opportunities,” said Tendy Gunawan, ILO Indonesia’s Programme Officer for Inclusive Workplaces.