Indonesia strengthens industrial workforce to boost manufacturing competitiveness
Indonesia Strengthens Industrial Workforce to Boost Manufacturing Competitive
12 Okt 2026 09:29 WIB
Voice of Indonesia
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Industry continues to strengthen industrial human resources as a key foundation for improving the productivity and competitiveness of Indonesia’s manufacturing sector. The effort is being pursued through vocational education and training programs aligned with the needs of industry.
“National industrial development requires not only investment and technology, but also a competent and adaptive workforce that meets industry needs. Therefore, industrial human resource development must be an integrated part of strengthening the national industrial structure,” Industry Minister Muhammad Sarmuji said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
According to Sarmuji, increasing labor productivity is an important factor in strengthening the competitiveness of Indonesia’s industrial sector. The Ministry of Industry aims to increase manufacturing labor productivity from Rp124.35 million per worker in 2025 to Rp147.7 million by 2029.
“Vocational education needs to have a strong connection with industry needs. The link-and-match approach and a stronger dual education system are essential to ensuring that graduates have skills relevant to technological developments and workplace demands,” he said.
Sarmuji added that competency development must also keep pace with rapidly evolving technology. These include digital skills, automation, data analysis, and cybersecurity, which are increasingly in demand across the industrial sector.
“With increasingly competent industrial human resources, labor productivity can continue to improve and ultimately strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesia’s manufacturing sector. The Ministry of Industry will continue to ensure that human resource development programs remain aligned with industrial development needs,” he said.
In line with this direction, the Ministry of Industry’s Agency for Industrial Human Resource Development (BPSDMI) runs vocational education and training programs through 13 vocational higher education institutions, nine vocational high schools (SMKs), and seven Industrial Training Centers (BDIs). The programs include dual-system vocational education, competency training, certification, business incubation, and Industry 4.0 competency development.
At an internal Ministry of Industry working meeting on Thursday, October 8, 2026, Acting Head of BPSDMI Adie Rochmanto Pandiangan said the education and training programs are designed around the actual needs of the industrial sector. This is achieved by strengthening curricula, improving instructor competencies, upgrading educational infrastructure, and expanding partnerships with businesses and industry.
“BPSDMI continues to ensure that its education and training programs are relevant to industry needs. Graduates are equipped not only with knowledge but also with practical skills and certifications required in the workplace,” he said.
Public interest in industrial vocational education is also reflected in the high number of applicants. As of June 30, 2026, vocational higher education programs had received 61,744 applications for 4,566 available places, while vocational secondary education programs had received 33,592 applications for 2,749 places.
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