The National Labour Force Survey (Sakernas) in May 2026 recorded that\naround 14.31 percent, or 1,033,132 people with D-4, S-1, S-2, and S-3\nqualifications, remained unemployed. This situation arises as the world\nof work continues to change, marked by technological developments, new\nskill demands, and efficiency drives across several industrial sectors.\nThis polemic highlights the growing problem of educated\nunemployment.<\/p>\n
Labour expert and Professor at the Faculty of Social and Political\nSciences at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Tadjuddin Noer Effendi, stated\nthat the rising number of unemployed university graduates is not solely\ndue to limited job opportunities. The mismatch between graduate\ncompetencies and the needs of the labour market also contributes to the\ndifficulty graduates face in entering the job market.<\/p>\n
Education has tended to provide theoretical knowledge, while the\nworld of work requires people with practical skills. \u201cEducation provides\na lot of theory, whereas the world of work is looking for people who are\nalready skilled. Generally, graduates come to companies with a diploma,\nnot with skills,\u201d he explained on Tuesday (18\/8).<\/p>\n
According to him, this condition is becoming more challenging as\nindustry develops with the use of technology, including the emergence of\nArtificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics. These developments mean\nindustry\u2019s need for labour is no longer based solely on educational\nbackground, but also on abilities and skills relevant to technological\nprogress. Meanwhile, these skills are considered not to have been fully\nacquired by students during their time in higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cA diploma is no longer sufficient grounds for a company to accept a\ngraduate if it is not accompanied by skills. So if a graduate only\nbrings a diploma to look for work, it now seems difficult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Beyond the issue of graduate competence, he noted that Indonesia\u2019s\neconomic structure is also not yet capable of creating quality jobs,\nparticularly in the industrial sector. Labour-intensive industries,\nwhich have traditionally absorbed workers, are under pressure due to\nrising costs of imported raw materials and weakening public purchasing\npower. \u201cThis condition encourages companies to make efficiencies,\nincluding reducing their workforce,\u201d he said, linking the situation to\nrising layoffs (PHK).<\/p>\n
He said the government internship programme is a fairly good step to\nhelp graduates gain work experience and skills. However, the programme\u2019s\ncapacity is still considered far too small compared to the number of\neducated unemployed. He therefore urged the government to expand modern\njob training centres oriented towards industry needs. \u201cThere should be\ntraining centres established that can provide a faster route to\nimproving graduate skills, especially for graduates who have not been\nabsorbed by the job market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Professor Tadjuddin criticised the government\u2019s plan to establish the\nUniversity of the Republic of Indonesia (URI) if its main objective is\nto address educated unemployment. According to him, establishing a new\nuniversity requires a long time before it can produce graduates with the\nquality industry needs. He suggested that the government and\nuniversities strengthen vocational training centres tailored to labour\nmarket needs. This, he said, could be one solution to educated\nunemployment. The programme, he said, should target university graduates\nwho have not been absorbed by the job market so they can acquire the\npractical skills industry needs. \u201cIf this can be realised well, it is\nhighly likely that within two to five years it could create perhaps one\nto two million placements for educated unemployed people,\u201d concluded\nTadjuddin.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-internship-programme-deemed-ineffective-in-tackling-graduate-unemployment-1787046705", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }