Researcher values minimum wage internship as solution for educated unemployment

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A researcher from Indikator Politik Indonesia, Bawono Kumoro, believes that the 2026 National Internship Programme has the potential to be a short-term solution to address the high rate of educated unemployment in Indonesia.

According to Bawono, the internship allowance scheme, with values equivalent to the Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) or Regency/City Minimum Wage (UMK), is a government policy breakthrough that deserves appreciation, as it has never been implemented on such a large scale for recent university graduates before.

Speaking in Jakarta on Wednesday, Bawono stated that the paid internship programme is worthy of praise because the government has not implemented such a large-scale programme with minimum wage-equivalent allowances in previous periods.

“The fresh graduate internship programme with a salary equivalent to the provincial minimum wage (UMP) is a government policy breakthrough that has not been done in the past and certainly deserves appreciation,” said Bawono.

He assessed that this policy arrives amidst the challenges of an increasing number of university graduates struggling to find employment due to a lack of work experience.

“Amidst the pressure of rising educated unemployment rates, a UMP-level paid internship programme like this is certainly attractive and can serve as a short-term solution,” he added.

Bawono explained that for new graduates, internship programmes can serve as an important entry point to familiarise themselves with the professional world, build professional networks, and create opportunities to be recruited permanently by their host companies.

“For fresh graduates, internship programmes can be a vital entry point for gaining their first work experience, building professional networks, or even being recruited permanently. In an increasingly competitive working world, such experience is undoubtedly very valuable,” he said.

He noted that one of the persistent issues faced by university graduates is a lack of work experience, making it difficult to compete in the labour market.

“This UMP-level internship programme can also be an answer to the classic problem where many university graduates have very minimal experience,” said Bawable.

Furthermore, he suggested that while the government has previously been known for various wage subsidy programmes for workers meeting certain criteria, this paid internship scheme can be viewed as a form of competency investment for the younger generation.

“If we have previously known about government wage subsidies for workers meeting certain criteria, it is not an exaggeration to call the UMP-level paid internship programme a competency subsidy for fresh graduates,” he said.

Bawono believes that the successful implementation of this programme could potentially lead to the creation of a sustainable national internship system.

“It is not impossible that if this programme runs successfully, it could become a sustainable national internship programme,” he remarked.

Previously, the Ministry of Manpower confirmed that the 2026 National Internship Programme will reopen this coming July, with a quota of up to 150,000 participants, an increase from previous implementations.

The programme is intended for diploma (D3) and bachelor’s (S1) graduates who are recent graduates or have graduated no more than one year ago. Participants are required to undergo an internship for six months, and there is no age limit for registration.

In addition to gaining industrial work experience, participants will also receive an allowance following the UMP or UMK of their placement area. The allowance in several regions even reaches more than Rp5 million per month.

The Ministry of Manpower also urged prospective participants to prepare their SIAPKerja accounts as a primary requirement for registration to participate in the selection process once official registration opens.

The National Internship Programme is designed as a transitional bridge for new graduates before they fully enter the workforce by strengthening competence, professional experience, and increasing competitiveness in the job market.