Focus Group Discussion on Skills Supply and Demand, “Reducing Educated Unemployment”

IBC recommended prioritising non-English-speaking markets such as Japan, Germany, and South Korea, where Indonesian workers face less competition than counterparts from the Philippines and Vietnam. Welding, caregiving, and hospitality offer the most promising opportunities. IBC proposed vocational schools that function as dedicated corridors, each tailored to the language, skill, and certification requirements of a particular destination market.

IBC also noted that with roughly 60 percent of Indonesia’s 140 million workers in informal employment, their transition into formal work hinges on readiness to fill the roles new investment creates.

The discussion was convened by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs on 9 September 2026.