Disability rights at work in Indonesia

What are the employment rights of people with disabilities in Indonesia?

Employment rights for people with disabilities come from Law 8/2016 on Persons with Disabilities, in force since 15 April 2016. Article 11 lists the right to work for central government, regional government or private employers without discrimination; equal pay for the same type of work and responsibility; reasonable accommodation; protection from dismissal because of disability; return-to-work programmes; fair placement; and the chance to build a career.

Article 49 says employers must pay workers with disabilities the same as other workers doing the same job with the same responsibility. Law 13/2003 Article 67, as amended by Law 6/2023, requires employers of workers with disabilities to protect them in line with the type and degree of disability.

What is the disability employment quota in Indonesia?

The disability employment quota is set by Law 8/2016 Article 53 and is counted against an employer's total employees or workers. Central and regional government, state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and regional-owned enterprises (BUMD) have a higher minimum quota than private companies. The figures are in the table below, copied from that article. Article 54 requires central and regional government to give incentives to private companies that employ people with disabilities.

Figures are copied from the article named and were checked on 8 October 2026.

What is reasonable accommodation, and who must provide it?

Reasonable accommodation means the appropriate and necessary changes and adjustments that let a person with a disability enjoy their rights on an equal basis with others (Law 8/2016 Article 1 point 9). Article 50(1) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation and accessible facilities, and Article 50(2) requires them to open a complaints mechanism for when those rights are not met.

Examples named in the law:

• During recruitment (Article 47): help with application forms, test tools and formats suited to the disability, and more flexible test times.
• At work (Article 48): an orientation or adjustment period, a flexible workplace that keeps the same targets, rest breaks, a flexible schedule, assistance with tasks, and special permission or leave for treatment.

Employers that fail to provide reasonable accommodation face administrative sanctions, from a written warning up to revocation of their business licence (Article 50(4)).

How do I ask my employer for reasonable accommodation?

Put the request in writing: Law 8/2016 Article 50(1) makes accommodation the employer's duty, and a written record helps if the request is refused. The request can be short:

1. Your name, job title and the date.
2. The barrier you face at work, only as far as your employer needs to know.
3. The adjustment you propose, such as a flexible schedule, a work aid or rest breaks.
4. A reference to Law 8/2016 Article 50(1), and a request for a written reply.

Keep a copy. If the request is ignored or refused without a reason, use the workplace complaints mechanism (Article 50(2)), then ask the ULD Ketenagakerjaan for support.

What is the ULD Ketenagakerjaan, and how can it help?

The ULD Ketenagakerjaan is the Disability Service Unit inside provincial and district manpower offices (Disnaker). Government Regulation 60/2020 Article 2 requires every regional government to have one, implementing Law 8/2016 Article 55. Its tasks include informing employers about non-discriminatory recruitment, supporting workers with disabilities, supporting employers, and coordinating work aids (Article 8).

Support for workers can include an assessment of interests, talents, abilities and the accommodation needed, and early communication with the employer (Article 11). The guidelines in Minister of Manpower Regulation 21/2020 Article 7 add finding vacancies and promoting workers with disabilities to employers, career guidance, information on contracts, wages and working hours, and facilitating and mediating industrial disputes. Ask about ULD services at your district manpower office.

Can an employer reject an applicant because of a disability?

Not for reasons unrelated to the job. Manpower Circular M/6/HK.04/V/2025 of 28 May 2025 bars employers from discriminating on any grounds in recruitment, and point 4 of the circular says the ban applies equally to workers with disabilities. Law 13/2003 Article 5 guarantees an equal chance to obtain work, and breaches can lead to administrative sanctions (Article 190 as amended by Law 6/2023).

Law 8/2016 Article 143 also bars anyone from obstructing or preventing people with disabilities from exercising their right to work, and Article 145 sets a criminal penalty for it. A circular is guidance for governors, not a statute, but it follows Law 13/2003 and Law 8/2016.

Where can I report disability discrimination at work?

Start with the closest route and keep all evidence, such as the job ad, a rejection message or an unanswered accommodation request:

1. The workplace complaints mechanism, which employers must open under Law 8/2016 Article 50(2).
2. The ULD Ketenagakerjaan at the manpower office, which under Minister of Manpower Regulation 21/2020 Article 7 can facilitate and mediate industrial disputes.
3. The Ministry of Manpower complaint channel, for breaches of statutory rights such as discrimination or unequal pay.
4. The police, if someone obstructs the right to work (Law 8/2016 Articles 143 and 145) or there is violence.

• Kemnaker help centre and call centre

  1500630 bantuan.kemnaker.go.id

• Police call centre 110

  110 polri.go.id

The National Commission on Disability (KND) was set up under Law 8/2016 Article 131 to monitor, evaluate and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. Negotiation and mediation steps are on labour dispute mediation, and free legal help on free legal aid.

Where can I find official vacancies open to people with disabilities?

The free official channels are the Ministry of Manpower's Karirhub and SIAPkerja, and your local manpower office. Minister of Manpower Regulation 18/2024 Article 43 requires job seekers who are about to start work to have a SIAPkerja-ID, and registration is free (Article 36(4)). Job fair organisers may not charge job seekers (Article 37(2)) and must provide access arrangements for people with disabilities (Articles 38 to 40).

• Karirhub (Kemnaker)

  karirhub.kemnaker.go.id

The ULD Ketenagakerjaan is also tasked with finding vacancies and promoting workers with disabilities to employers (Regulation 21/2020 Article 7). For state-owned enterprises, see state-owned enterprise jobs. The Ministry of Manpower says genuine recruitment never charges applicants, so refuse any request for money and check the ad with Check a job.

What if a worker with a disability faces sexual harassment?

Non-physical and physical sexual harassment are usually offences prosecuted only on the victim's complaint, but Law 12/2022 Article 7(2) says this does not apply when the victim has a disability. The police can therefore act without waiting for a complaint. Article 66(2) gives victims with disabilities the right to accessibility and reasonable accommodation throughout the process. Reporting routes are explained in women's rights at work.