The education gap

Despite investing in higher education degrees, many college and university graduates in Indonesia face challenges in securing employment. According to the August 2021 National Labor Force Survey, as much as 14% of the country’s total unemployed population are recent graduates. This can be attributed, in part, to the outdated curricula that formal education institutions still employ.

The lack of relevance of graduates’ skills to the current job market can make it challenging for them to find work that aligns with their degree. This situation presents a paradox, as the country is experiencing demographic growth and an emerging job market, yet a talent pipeline prepared for the demands of the workforce is still insufficient.