MPR Deputy Speaker Highlights Importance of Upskilling Human Resources to Meet Industry Demands

Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat (Rerie) has stressed that efforts to equip students with new skills must be consistently implemented. This forms part of applying an adaptive education system to address the ever-evolving demands of industry.

“A workforce capable of responding to the rapid pace of industrial development is urgently needed to accelerate growth. An adaptive education system that produces skilled human resources capable of meeting these challenges is required,” said Rerie in a statement on Wednesday (18/2/2026).

According to Rerie, these challenges must receive serious attention from stakeholders to ensure the existing workforce possesses the competencies demanded by the business world.

Rerie argued that the current shift in industry requirements has given rise to a number of new sectors, including the digital and creative economy, the application of artificial intelligence (AI), and the sustainable economy.

“Educational institutions must be capable of instilling competencies in these new sectors among students, in response to the shifting workforce demands of the industrial sector,” explained the member of House of Representatives Commission X from Central Java Electoral District II.

Rerie expressed hope that stakeholders at both national and regional levels, together with the wider public, would work collectively to realise an adaptive education system capable of meeting the nation’s industrial needs, in order to achieve stronger national economic growth in the future.

Previously, Minister of Manpower Yassierli disclosed last week that 59 per cent of workers worldwide require new skills to remain aligned with current industry demands. According to Yassierli, shifts in technology and the global economy have caused industry requirements to change accordingly.