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View all search resultsDoubts linger over effectiveness of one-day remote work in curbing fuel use
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Motorists queue at a petrol station in Surabaya, East Java on March 9, 2026. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
T
he government’s plan to enforce a mandatory one day of remote work per week for civil servants has drawn skepticism among analysts, who are calling for longer-term solutions to cushion the impact of rising global oil prices triggered by the Middle East war.
The policy is expected to take effect sometime after the extended Islamic holiday Idul Fitri, with the government also encouraging private companies to follow suit.
It was first floated on March 19 by Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto after a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, with the senior minister describing it as an effort to address the currently skyrocketing global oil prices through “work-hour efficiency”.
Since the United States and Israel started a war on Iran in late February, global oil supplies have been disrupted after Tehran blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz, pushing prices to above US$100 per barrel, exceeding the $70 per barrel assumed in the state budget.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has estimated that remote work could cut fuel consumption by around 20 percent, although other state officials have dismissed speculations over national fuel shortages.
Home Minister Tito Karnavian said on Wednesday that the work-from-home scheme would not disrupt essential public services, noting that Indonesia already went through a more rigorous remote work policy during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
“This isn’t our first rodeo. We even had only 25 percent of [civil servants] at the office during the pandemic, so it’s not something new,” the minister told reporters at the State Palace on Wednesday.
