Employment protection in Indonesia’s West Papua province has reached a significant milestone, with 96,696 workers registered in the national employment social-security program through September 2026. The achievement, recorded by the Manokwari branch of the Workers’ Social Security Agency, or BPJamsostek, covers formal employees, independent workers and construction-sector laborers across five regencies.
It demonstrates how social protection is becoming a more established pillar of regional development, helping households manage workplace accidents, loss of life and long-term income uncertainty.
Broadening the Social Protection Base
According to reports published by ANTARA News Papua Tengah, the membership total includes 31,713 wage-earning workers, 56,052 non-wage workers and 8,931 people employed in construction services. The figures are particularly significant because they extend coverage beyond conventional office and industrial employment to workers whose livelihoods often depend on informal, seasonal or project-based activities.
By bringing these groups into a formal protection system, West Papua is strengthening the resilience of communities that can be especially vulnerable to sudden health, accident or income shocks.
BPJamsostek Manokwari Head Gery Dame Malelak said 2,057 business entities had also registered in the program, including local government institutions. The branch serves Manokwari, South Manokwari, Arfak Mountains, Teluk Bintuni and Teluk Wondama, giving the enrollment figure a broad territorial significance.
In a region where settlements and workplaces are dispersed across difficult geography, business participation provides an important administrative channel for ensuring that workers are not excluded from basic employment protections.
Policy Framework for Responsible Employment
The expansion reflects a legal obligation requiring business entities to enroll their workers in employment social-security programs. Malelak cited Article 15, Paragraph 1 of Law No. 24 of 2021, while also emphasizing the role of regional regulations in translating national policy into practical protection.
Under the framework described by BPJamsostek, provincial and district governments are expected to issue supporting regulations, including provincial and regent-level rules, so that employers and public institutions can implement coverage consistently.
The required benefits are structured according to the scale of a business. Microenterprises must provide protection against workplace accidents and death, while small businesses must add old-age security; medium and large enterprises are required to provide workplace accident, death, old-age and pension coverage.
This graduated system is designed to make participation attainable for smaller enterprises while establishing more comprehensive safeguards as businesses grow, employ more people and assume greater economic responsibilities.
Protecting Informal and Indigenous Workers
West Papua has taken additional steps to adapt social protection to local employment conditions and community needs. The provincial government has issued Provincial Regulation No. 35 of 2023, Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2022 and Special Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2022 to support the implementation of the program.
These measures include provisions for local government contract workers, village officials and village consultative bodies, as well as specific guarantees for vulnerable Indigenous Papuan workers.
The approach is important for inclusive growth because economic participation in Papua is not limited to large companies or formal payrolls. Independent workers, village-based workers, construction crews and Indigenous communities all contribute to the region’s development, yet their livelihoods may not always fit conventional employment models.
Extending coverage to them can improve household confidence, encourage more responsible business practices and help ensure that infrastructure and public-service expansion produces durable benefits rather than leaving workers exposed to avoidable risks.
A Foundation for More Resilient Regional Growth
Malelak said Manokwari and South Manokwari have adopted regional regulations supporting the program, while the other three regencies use regent regulations. The combination of national obligations, provincial policy and district-level implementation creates a framework that can be strengthened through continued outreach, employer compliance and easier registration for informal workers.
As adapted from reporting by ANTARA News Papua Tengah, the September enrollment milestone is therefore more than a membership statistic: it is evidence of a region building the institutional foundations of safer, more inclusive economic progress.
