Gov’t to Address Job-Skills Mismatch in Labor Market

Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro speaks to reporters after Limited Cabinet Meeting, at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (16/5). (Photo by: AGUNG/PR)

Many jobs at industries remain vacant due to unsuitable applicants for the jobs, according to Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro.

“There are mismatches in expertise needed,” the Minister told reporters after a limited Cabinet Meeting on Education at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (16/5).

According to Bambang, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed vocational training centers, vocational high schools, and polytechnics to ensure that the expertise or skills of their graduates can meet demands from labor market.

“We cannot simply focus on supplies without paying attention to demands. In the next limited Cabinet Meeting, we will focus on the demands,” he said.

Bambang added that Minister of Education and Culture, Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education and Minister of Manpower will review matters related to vocational training centers, vocational high schools, and polytechnics evaluations.

The ministries, he added, have reported all sort of troubles, including unqualified vocational high schools. He also said that the Government could not start from scratch and would have to make use of available resources instead.

“This is not a matter of numbers (of graduates), teachers’ ratios, or others. But, this is a matter of graduates’ skill compatibility with demands from labor market. So, the supply (providers) must pay attention to the demands,” he said.

Bambang acknowledged that the vocational high schools already have clusters such as tourism, industry, maritime affairs, and others but he stressed that Indonesia is facing problems in graduates’ expertise and the Government will improve the condition. He also emphasized the need for quality improvement in the education sector, including quality of teachers. (SLN/AGG/ES)

Translated by : Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Edited by : Ridwan Ibadurrohman, M. Ersan Pamungkas