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The challenge of rapid rehiring is daunting for businesses, but the situation is even more pressing
for the millions of Indonesians who rely on these jobs for their living. Before- the pandemic,
more than 70 million workers (which is more than half of Indonesia's workforce) relied for their
livelihoods on the informal sector.

. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) also recorded that around half of the nation's poor were working i n
the informal sector. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the vulnerability and instability that comes
with informal employment. For many Indonesians who were already facing job insecurity, the
past year has been devastating, to say the least.

Facing this crisis, employers must ensure that their human resource management is backed up
by sufficient tools and resources. Digital solutions, like in many sectors during the pandemic, can
be very useful to manage human resources. Yet it is crucial to ensure that these solutions not
only replicate conventional processes in digital form, but rather transform the recruitrrient
process to meet the pressing need.

Hiring automation empowers human resource managers to take up the challenge of rehiring
post-pandemic. Technology allows recruiters to find the right people for the job more
systematically and efficiently. Particularly for companies needing to hire temporary and blue-
collar workers, there needs to be a smart solution to reliably source, vet' and match them with
the right job seekers. Integrating this solution with employers' digital human resource
management systems would not only save a lot of time and energy. but also allow human
resource managers to make better, smarterdecisions.

At the same time, automation must not exclude those who need these jobs the most. Rather,
hiring automation solutions should empower the millions of informal sector workers in Indonesia,
particularly the poor.

Digitalization offers many opportunities for informal workers to rejoin the workforce, one of which
is through online skills training specialized for the shifting needs brought about by the rapid
digitalization necessitated by the pandemic. Employers need to rethink employee training, so as
to widen the pool of informal workers who meet their qualification requirements. An investment
in online training systems could yield better results than running inefficient traditional training
programs.

Digital hiring services also allow informal workers to carve their own path to employment, rather
than relying on often-exploitative middlemen in matching them with opportunities. Just as digital
platforms (such as ride-hailing apps) enable people to take on-demand jobs, digital hiring
platforms enable informal wprkers to choose jobs that are aligned with their skills and
preferences.

The thoughtful use of technology in automating recruitment is the solution needed to meet the
urgent need of post-pandemic rehiring. Hiring automation allows employers to manage
recruitment more efficiently, but it must not exclude the millions of informal workers who have
been hit hard by the pandemic.

At the same time, this post-pandemic recovery is an opportunity- for a Wholesale digital
revolution in human resource management jn Indonesia. COVID-19 has forced employers to
rethink and reprioritize how it manages human resource costs.

So, instead of directly returning to pre-pandemic practices, businesses can learn from the trauma
and incorporate systems that are most cost-effective and efficient. Automation is the future of
human resource management, and it is momentous for employers to embrace technology rather
than resist it.

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