Education Mismatch Becomes a Time Bomb for Indonesia's Future

Indonesia is facing a major irony in human resource development. This is because the number of graduates continues to increase every year. However, on the other hand, the quality of alignment with the world of work is weakening. Data shows that only 64 per cent of young workers are employed according to their educational qualifications. Meanwhile, 22.36 per cent experience overeducation (too high) for the jobs they undertake. This means there is a “waste” of resources that does not match their utilisation in the world of work. This indicates that nearly half of Indonesia’s young talent is not truly on the right path. The education mismatch has even turned into a time bomb that erodes national productivity. Graduates who do not work in their field tend to lose momentum in their competence, while those who are overeducated face stagnation and become less useful. In this context, the collaboration between Citiasia Inc. and the Indonesian Association of Engineering Technicians and Technologists (Iterati) becomes relevant, even urgent. The I Iterati 2026 Congress Forum is not just a ceremony, but a reflection that the issue has reached a critical point and requires real intervention. In that forum, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek), Prof Brian Yuliarto, emphasised the importance of strengthening vocational education and competency systems. This step is to support the technology-based economic transformation. Citiasia CEO, Fitrah R Kautsar, explained that if the mismatch is left unchecked, Indonesia will not only lose opportunities in the present but also in the future. “We must stop measuring the quality of human resources only from diplomas and start assessing from real competencies that can be used and tested,” he said in Jakarta on Monday (27/4/2026).