Labour Minister Proposes Increasing National Internship Participants to 150,000

Labour Minister Yassierli has proposed increasing the number of national internship participants for the 2026 period to 150,000 people. “This is just a proposal; we have already submitted the letter to the President,” Yassierli stated during a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives, broadcast live on YouTube on Thursday, 9 April 2026.

Yassierli said the Ministry of Manpower is still awaiting budget availability. He hopes the Ministry of Finance will provide support so that the national internship programme can continue this year.

The proposed number of participants put forward by Yassierli is higher than the initial plan. Previously, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the government is preparing a quota of 100,000 participants to join the programme to be implemented in the middle of this year.

On the same occasion, Yassierli recounted findings from the Ministry of Manpower during an inspection of the national internship programme. He said there were participants with disabilities from the regions who had the opportunity to intern in Jakarta, as well as participants who used their allowances to help their parents.

Yassierli stated that participants who complete the six-month national internship programme will receive a certificate of completion. He also revealed that some participants were recruited by companies before finishing their internship period. “Before being recruited by other companies because they have already invested, they know well the dedication and work performance of the young interns, so they are recruited before the six months are up.”

Although not mandatory, Yassierli urged companies to facilitate internship participants in obtaining work competency certifications from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP). He hopes that certification can become one of the criteria for determining companies that participate in the national programme this year.