Jakarta. The state civil service bill is expected to bring some major changes to the annual recruitment process, among others, according to Minister for Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms Abdullah Azwar Anas. 

The minister on Wednesday met with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to discuss the bill at the State Palace in Jakarta. 

Azwar Anas said the bill would transform the recruitment process and the posts to enable a “more agile and collaborative organization”. He added that the bill could also pave the way for more flexible recruitment.

“All this time, whenever there is someone who retires, we need to wait for the annual [recruitment] to take place to find new hires. There are times when a teacher passes away or resigns. An honorary employee would take over their post, but that becomes a problem in the future,” Azwar Anas was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

The government is also hoping to narrow the talent gap with the bill. Civil servants today are still concentrated in major cities. In 2021, there were over 130,000 posts in Indonesia’s remote areas, but many remained vacant. 

Another major change is the civil servants’ skills development. The government will undertake an integrated, experiential learning scheme that may even include two-month internships at state-owned enterprises. Azwar Anas added: “So there will be internships, on-the-job training.”

The bill covers employee performance management to make sure that their performances reflect that of the organizations.

Azwar Anas said that the government would finish the arrangements for non–civil servant personnel soon. The government has also prepared several scenarios on this matter.

Indonesia is also banking on the bill to expedite the digital transformation of civil servant management.

“Digitalization is not just using an app. But having the right mindset is also important,” Azwar Anas said.

Last but not least, the bill aims to strengthen AKHLAK, the core values that civil servants are encouraged to have. AKHLAK calls for them to be competent and adaptive, among others. The civil service bill will simplify these core values so it would be easier to adopt.