Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that Indonesia faces difficult challenges in job creation, including the large number of residents and the vastness of the land.
"Indonesia has a big population and nearly five million are born each year. Therefore, Indonesia must prepare at least 5 million jobs every year," said Airlangga at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting at the King Abdul Aziz Conference Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, April 28, 2024, as quoted from an official statement.
Airlangga emphasized the importance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as part of efforts to create jobs in the country. According to him, implementing public policies by providing inclusive financing incentives, technical assistance and equitable distribution of digital infrastructure is one of the government's priority efforts. This includes the government's efforts to realize the 2045 Golden Indonesia goal.
Additionally, Minister Airlangga also talked about the government's strategy for encouraging the young generation's labor market. In this case, digitalization plays an important role.
"Indonesia uses digitalization as a new engine of growth and education to support digitalization, such as collaboration with IBM (International Business Machines) and Apple Academy," said Airlangga.
In preparing a dynamic labor market, said Airlangga, the government has prepared various anticipatory steps to invest in training and education. "For example, education at an early age, vocations, preparation and training for job seekers."
Airlangga mentioned the "Merdeka Belajar" program. According to him, this program provides internship opportunities for students.
Airlangga also claims that the Job Creation Law (UU) is effective in reducing barriers to domestic and foreign investment. He revealed that foreign investment in Indonesia has risen 29.4 percent on average in the five quarters after the implementation of the law."