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Pre-employment cards bring new hope to low-skilled job seekers
With the pre-employment card, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo hopes to reduce the unemployment rate and teach new skills to Indonesia’s workforce to keep up with the ever-changing digital economy and combat job loss as a result of automation.
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Two job seekers look at job openings during the Mega Career Expo in Balai Kartini, Jakarta, on Aug. 23, 2013. (JP/Nurhayati)
Although he is earning a living as an app-based motorcycle taxi driver, Rahman dreams of a steady job.
The 35-year-old now feels closer to achieving that dream. The government has introduced a pre-employment program, which will enable him to improve his skills and, hopefully, increase his chances of landing a job.
“I saw it once when I watched a news program on television, and I’m very interested in enrolling,” Rahman said near the Fatmawati MRT station in South Jakarta on Monday.
Rahman said he had always wanted to improve his skills but could not afford to pay for vocational training.
Through the program, which involves the issuance of a pre-employment card, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo hopes to reduce the unemployment rate and teach new skills to Indonesia’s workforce to keep up with the ever-changing digital economy and combat job loss as a result of automation.
According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there were 7.05 million unemployed people in Indonesia in August, representing 5.28 percent of the country’s total workforce.
A 2018 study by the McKinsey Global Institute and the World Bank predicted there would be a shortage of 9 million skilled and semiskilled workers in the digital sector in Indonesia between 2015 and 2030.
