September 23, 2026 | 06:37 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor is encouraging young people to harness the immense potential of the demographic bonus by pursuing overseas internship and employment opportunities.
"Indonesia currently possesses a significant demographic bonus; for those interested in going abroad, we provide education, training, and the necessary competencies and skills," he said while opening the Batch IV Vocational Training and Productivity program—featuring the National Internship Hub and the Japan Internship program—in collaboration with IM Japan at the Vocational Training and Productivity Center (BPVP) in Muncar, Banyuwangi, East Java, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
He stated that the Ministry of Manpower is actively promoting programs for professional workers possessing specialized skills to be placed in partner countries, including Japan.
In Japan, he continued, Indonesian interns and workers are placed in various strategic sectors—ranging from automotive, manufacturing, and agriculture to driving roles—aligned with their respective competencies and official inter-agency and government agreements.
"To give you an idea, in the light automotive sector—roles such as tire shop technicians, oil change mechanics, and light repair specialists—workers can earn a net income of around Rp21 million per month," Afriansyah said.
He also commended Banyuwangi Regency for being one of the regions contributing the highest number of workers for placement in Japan.
"Banyuwangi is one of the top contributors for sending our youth to Japan. The presence of the BPVP here in Banyuwangi reflects our commitment to developing young people with outstanding competence and capabilities, including language skills," Afriansyah said.
The Deputy Minister noted that the employment situation in Banyuwangi is relatively excellent; with a population of approximately 1.7 million, the open unemployment rate (TPT) corresponds to a figure of around 10,000 people.
"This is remarkably low—a small percentage—and is something we must support," he said. Afriansyah urged the public to make optimal use of vocational training facilities, noting that President Prabowo Subianto places great emphasis on human resource development; this is reflected in a National Vocational Training quota of approximately 220,000 places—specifically for high school and vocational high school graduates—with all costs fully covered by the state.
Meanwhile, Banyuwangi Deputy Regent Mujiono reported that the region's open unemployment rate had been successfully reduced from 4.03 percent to 3.94 percent in 2025.
"This decline in unemployment should not be viewed merely as a success in job creation; we must also consider labor force participation, job quality, productivity, income levels, and the number of working-age individuals who are inactive in the labor market," the Deputy Regent said.
Read: Indonesia's Solo Region Explores Job, Education Ties with New Zealand
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