Internship Programme Hub to Reopen, Companies Get 'Bonus'

The government plans to continue the government internship programme for new graduates or fresh graduates, lasting six months. As known, this internship programme is one of the government’s economic stimulus packages opened to 20,000 new graduates or fresh graduates at the beginning of October 2025.

Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Susiwijono Moegiarso, explained that the programme is a response to disruptions in the job sector.

“The government has actually prepared many things for employment. It’s not easy, the trend is job disruptions and so on,” said Susi when met at Djakarta Theater, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (15/4/2026).

Not only internships for fresh graduates, he explained that the government has prepared various special incentive schemes. Primarily, for labour-intensive sectors deemed capable of absorbing large numbers of workers.

In addition, Susi explained that government policies are also directed to encourage industries that can utilise the potential of the middle class as an economic driver. “We have provided various special incentive schemes for labour-intensive industries, industries that can generate from the potential of the middle class and so on. So actually, that’s already in the pipeline of what the government has prepared,” he said.

“That’s why if you look at it recently, for fresh graduates, we created a six-month internship programme and we will continue it again this year. That’s actually something extraordinary,” he said.

Previously reported, businesspeople revealed that the current workforce condition in Indonesia requires serious attention because there are still many workers not absorbed into available jobs. This condition can be said to have entered the ‘yellow light’ stage.

Chairman of the Employment Sector of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Bob Azam, stated that for every one per cent increase in Indonesia’s economic growth, the available jobs can only absorb 200,000 to 400,000 workers. With Indonesia’s economic growth still around 5%, the absorbed workforce or those who have jobs only reaches 2 million people, the rest, namely 1.5 million, do not get jobs or are not yet absorbed.

“If we look at our economic growth, every 1% economic growth can absorb between 200,000 to 400,000 people, if all investors are labour-intensive. But if not labour-intensive, more capital-intensive, maybe 200,000 people, even only 100,000 people. So if our economic growth is 5% and all labour-intensive, only 2 million people are absorbed, the rest 1.5 million people are not absorbed,” said Bob Azam in his presentation at the Working Committee (Panja) meeting on the Employment Bill with Commission IX of the House of Representatives, Tuesday (14/4/2026).