Despite a high number of job seekers here, businesses are still finding it difficult to hire reliable competent workers, says a business group.
Nina Tursinah, deputy chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said to help overcome the problem, the government needed to improve the education system to boost the competency of high school graduates and help them meet certain criteria in the job market.
"Our education system in general is fairly good, but it does not support the needs of the market. There is a missing link between education and industry," Nina said during a press conference on labor training.
"School graduates don't have the skills needed in workplace. Employers often have to train them for months before they can start working for companies."
In order to solve this problem, Nina said the government should upgrade education policy to correlate with the workplace, for example, schools should focus their curricula on practical assignments to give students a feel for practical work in a professional career.
"The government and educational institutions should also invest in training programs to improve students' skills," Nina said.
Apindo has been working with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to carry out training for high school graduates.
"Apindo will evaluate the training programs and set recommendations for the government to improve current education policy so that education can contribute more to the labor market," she said.
Deputy Director of ILO Peter van Rooij said for a developing country like Indonesia, the problem of competency was one of the most important issues for job seekers.
"Because of the limited education and training available, job seekers often fail in the labor market," Van Rooij said, adding currently both the government and educational institutions still considered training as a mere expense.
"Training costs a lot, but it is also a good investment if it is carried out at the right time and place and in the right way," he said.
According to the Manpower Ministry, up to 2.5 million people enter Indonesia's job market every year with the majority of them unskilled or semi-skilled. (dia)
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