National Internship Programme Expected to Curb Youth Unemployment, Says Manpower Ministry

The Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) has stated that the National Internship Programme (MagangHub) is designed to prepare fresh university graduates with the necessary competencies to help reduce youth unemployment in Indonesia. “Kemnaker hopes the National Internship Programme can contribute to reducing youth unemployment by enhancing the competitiveness and job readiness of fresh graduates,” said Head of the Kemnaker Public Relations Bureau, Faried Abdurrahman Nur Yuliono, in Jakarta on Monday. Faried highlighted that a key challenge for young graduates is the gap between the competencies acquired through formal education and the actual demands of the labour market. He noted that many fresh graduates face a situation where job vacancies require experience, yet they have not had the opportunity to gain it. “This programme provides a space for university graduates to gain real work experience for six months, receive guidance from mentors, understand workplace culture, hone technical and non-technical skills, and build professional portfolios and networks,” Faried said. With this experience, participants are expected not only to be more prepared to seek employment but also to be more capable of surviving, adapting, and thriving in the workplace. Kemnaker recorded that in the previous implementation, approximately 30 per cent of participants received job offers after the programme concluded. A further 34 per cent had not received formal offers but showed indications or opportunities for employment, while the remaining 36 per cent had not received job offers. “This data must be read comprehensively. It means the internship programme does not automatically guarantee that all participants will immediately get jobs, but it demonstrates a real transition pathway from internship to employment opportunities,” Faried explained. Among the participants who received job offers, the most absorbing sectors were finance at 23.4 per cent, wholesale trade at 17.9 per cent, manufacturing at 16.5 per cent, and health at 10.3 per cent. “This serves as input for Kemnaker to strengthen collaboration with sectors that have high labour demand, while also expanding participation from other sectors so that opportunities for participants become more diverse,” he said. He expressed hope that the 2026 National Internship programme would have a threefold impact: improving the competencies and experience of participants, providing companies with job-ready young talent, and reducing the competency gap in the national labour market. “The National Internship Programme is one of the government’s concrete efforts to reduce youth unemployment, especially among university graduates, through a more direct approach,” Faried said. “Namely, by connecting fresh graduates with the world of work, providing real experience, strengthening competencies, and opening up recruitment opportunities after the programme ends.”