Panel Discussion at Productivity Indonesia Summit 2025 JI Expo Kemayoran: Accelerating Productivity Through People, Technology, and Industry Transformation
Jakarta, December 12, 2025 – The Productivity Indonesia Summit 2025 officially opened this morning at 9:00 AM at JI Expo Kemayoran, Jakarta. The event was inaugurated by the Minister of Manpower, Mr. Yassierly, and attracted significant attention from both domestic and international media, including mainstream outlets and online news portals.
Opening Remarks Highlight Workforce Challenges and Opportunities
In his opening speech, Minister Yassierly outlined critical labor market statistics in Indonesia, noting that the country has a workforce of 153 million people with an unemployment rate of 4.76 percent. He emphasized that only 39 percent of workers are employed in the formal sector, leaving a substantial portion in the informal economy, which is expected to remain high.
A pressing concern raised by the Minister was the educational background of the workforce. “Eighty-five to eighty-six percent of our human resources have at most a senior high school education,” he said, identifying this as a major challenge. He further noted that rapid developments in emerging job sectors such as the green economy, artificial intelligence (AI) economy, and creative economy are not matched by the readiness of the workforce.
Strengthening Vocational Education as a Strategic Response
To address these challenges, the Ministry of Manpower is focusing on enhancing vocational education and certified training programs. Minister Yassierly explained that vocational training is positioned as the preferred pathway not only for high school graduates but also for university graduates. However, he acknowledged limitations in the availability of vocational education facilities, citing that the government operates only 42 training centers nationwide with limited budgets.
“This shortage in training infrastructure constrains our capacity to prepare more skilled workers to meet the needs of evolving industries,” the Minister added.
Panel Discussion: Accelerating Productivity Through People, Technology, and Industry Transformation
During the event, a prominent panel discussion themed “Accelerating Productivity Through People, Technology, and Industry Transformation” was held at the JI Expo venue. Among the panelists was Mr. Sanggam Purba, Chairman of the Indonesian Productivity Professionals Association. In a media interview, he emphasized that this summit is a continuation of the “National University Education Movement.”
Mr. Sanggam noted that since Professor Yassierly assumed office as Minister of Manpower, the productivity movement has been regarded by the ministry as a fundamental pillar for addressing Indonesia’s labor problems. He remarked, “The productivity initiatives we are implementing were once just a dream, but now they have become a vital strategy, especially given the government’s economic growth target of 6 percent. This requires broad support from productivity movements and enhanced productivity knowledge.”
Joining Mr. Sanggam in the interview was Mr. Bambang Wardoyo, another panel participant who shared insights on productivity’s role in workforce development.
Government Employment Goals: Challenges Remain
The summit also highlighted the government’s ongoing challenge in fulfilling its promise of creating 19 million new jobs under the Prabowo-Gibran administration, which has been in power for over a year. To date, those job creation goals have yet to be fully realized.
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