One of the sectors that receive a heavy overhaul under the Omnibus Law (Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation) is the real estate sector, where the government intends to improve the ease of doing business. The Omnibus Law amends several stipulations among others in the Spatial Law, the Building Law, the Housing Law, and the Apartment Law, as well as introducing new standalone clauses that do not refer to any specific laws.

With a major overhaul in sectors such as investment and employment, Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation ("Omnibus Law") does not make significant changes to shipping law in Indonesia. Our initial analysis seems to show that there are no major controversies surrounding this sector. We detail some notable points under the Omnibus Law below.

After submission by the House of Representatives to the President on 14 October 2020, the Job Creation Law was finally enacted as Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation (“Omnibus Law”) on 2 November 2020. This law is published in the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 2020 No. 245 and Supplement to the State Gazette No. 6573.

Many hoped that investing in Indonesia will be simpler for investors after the Omnibus Law becomes effective. One of the ways in which the Omnibus Law seeks to simplify investment in Indonesia is by maximising the potential of the One Stop Service ("OSS") system. Despite being in operation since 2018, the OSS still operates in conjunction with manual licensing application or process. Investors often have to juggle both processes to achieve the desired outcome.

With the spotlight on big ticket items such as employment, the government, through the Omnibus Law, has also revised several provisions of the Competition Law (Law No. 5 of 1999). As we will discuss below, while these revisions appeared to be minor, they may have severe consequences.

In Indonesia, as in many other countries, employment law is often a sensitive issue, and past governments have shied away from resolving issues surrounding employment. With the enactment of the Omnibus Law, various provisions of the current Labour Law (Law No. 13 of 2003) that are deemed to be "too restrictive" or "too difficult" are either removed entirely or updated.

After much debate, the Indonesian House of Representatives finally approved the Omnibus Law. In anticipation of the questions that will arise, we will be launching a series of client update titled "Omnibus Law 2020: Overview Series" within the upcoming weeks. The updates will dissect and discuss the various elements and issues of the Omnibus Law.