JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has emphasized that Indonesia’s demographic bonus, which is predicted to peak in the 2030s, must be accompanied by an expansion in job opportunities.
“We should be focusing on the job market. In the future, there will be too few jobs for too many people. We should avoid this phenomenon,” he stressed at the opening of the Congress of the Association of Indonesian Economic Graduates in Surakarta, Central Java, on Thursday.
In this sense, the demographic bonus could be both a strength and a burden, he said.
“This is the biggest challenge for us to become a developed country. This demographic bonus requires many job opportunities. In fact, to open up jobs, we are facing tough challenges, as experienced by other countries as well,” he explained.
According to Jokowi, the first challenge is the global economic slowdown.
“In 2023, the global economy only grew 2.7 percent, and is estimated to grow 2.6 percent this year. This is far from our expectation,” he noted.
However, he said he is grateful that Indonesia’s economic growth is estimated to reach 5.1 percent in 2024.
“Being able to grow at approximately 5.1 (percent) is quite an achievement,” he added.
The second challenge is improving automation systems in work sectors.
“From mechanical automation, now we have artificial intelligence (AI) and analytical automation. In 2025, there will be 85 million jobs lost. We are required to open up employment opportunities because of the increase in automation in various sectors,” he pointed out.
He said that the third challenge is related to the gig economy.
“We should be careful with the gig economy. If not managed properly, this will become a trend of companies preferring independent workers or short-term contracts to reduce the risk of global uncertainty. The trend is heading there,” he cautioned.–ANTARA
