Workers of PT Harapan Global Apparel buy meals at stalls and merchants near a factory in Sukaraja Wetan village, Jatiwangi district, Majalengka regency, West Java, Monday (11/2/2019). In the past five years, the textile industry and textile products have entered Majalengka. Boosted by proximity to Kertajati International Airport, labor costs in Majalengka have also helped the area, as they are lower than in Bandung, Bekasi and KarawangProviding quality employment is a challenge for the government, given the large workforce and the fact that Indonesia will enjoy a demographic bonus. Employment was one of the issues discussed on Sunday during the third round of the presidential debates, which pit vice presidential candidates Ma\'ruf Amin and Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno against each other. But nether could give concrete solutions to the employment issue.
The current unemployment rate is around 7 million people out of a national workforce of 131.01 million people. Statistics Indonesia defines work used as an economic activity to earn an income in which someone engages at least one (uninterrupted) hour a week.
Another problem that must be resolved is that more than half of employed people work in the informal sector, which makes them vulnerable to economic disruption, and they usually have low productivity.
Another fact is that Indonesia is entering the demographic bonus, which will continue until 2038, during which the working-age population will reach 183.36 million people at its peak in 2020-2024. This means that we will enter the peak of the demographic bonus next year, which will only begin to decline after 2024.
Under such conditions, it is unsurprising that the youth workforce is demanding quality employment. At the same time, the ability to create new jobs will change. If every 1 percent of economic growth could create 400,000 jobs in the past two decades, only half this number of jobs was created in the last few years, partly because most industries have become capital intensive.
The 1945 Constitution guarantees everyone the right to decent work and livelihood, and ensures the fulfillment of citizens’ basic right to access food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.
The world is undergoing major and rapid changes as a result of the development of digital technology. There has been a swift change in demand and supply in various fields, including labor demand and supply. This has occurred because the working-age population is larger than the non-working age population.
In facing these changes, education and training programs must play a greater role in helping workers to gain skills in technology. Education and training must be in line with natural resources and the environment, as well as the rapid changes in the economy due to digital technology.
The definition of work as engaging in economic activities at least an hour a week would be relevant if the work provides an adequate or better than adequate means of livelihood, such as work related to the digital economy.
Here are the challenges of the next administration: providing jobs for the large workforce, mastering technological skills, and addressing the major changes that are sweeping the world.