"Today, many people say, 'I am still young, and yet why can't I find any work?' It is unfair, isn’t it?" he said during a campaign stop on Monday.
Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo has said he will eliminate age maximums for job openings in the country if elected president.
"Today, many people say, 'I am still young, and yet why can't I find any work?' It is unfair, isn’t it?" he said during a campaign stop in Purbalingga, Central Java, on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The former Central Java governor said that what mattered in job recruitment were candidates’ skills or physical capabilities, not their age.
He said eliminating age discrimination in the hiring system would be part of ensuring social justice for all Indonesians.
"We will consider the input [on the issue]. I’m thinking of creating a fair [working] ecosystem because working is the right of all citizens. They should not be limited by regulations," said Ganjar, as quoted by tempo.co.
Although the 2003 Labor Law prohibits any form of discrimination in the workplace, many Indonesian employers nonetheless specify age requirements for candidates, among other forms of ageism.
A number of Indonesians have criticized such discrimination on social media, often contrasting Indonesia with Western countries, where many posters believe there are fewer cases of workplace ageism.
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