Indonesia advances skilled worker exports and STEM training to close labor skill gap

Deputy Cooperatives Minister Farida Farichah said Indonesian cooperatives are preparing skilled professionals for overseas work. She sent off 86 migrant workers to Japan under the Kita Miraino Hikari Cooperative program, noting that the Cooperatives Ministry’s Revolving Fund Management Agency (LPDB) provided Rp55 billion (about US$3 million) in financing that allowed workers to travel without guarantee fees.

Labor Minister Yassierli stressed the need to strengthen university graduates’ competencies to match industry demands. He highlighted a persistent mismatch between graduate skills and job requirements and called for greater emphasis on STEM education, echoing President Prabowo Subianto’s push for stronger STEM curricula. Both initiatives aim to improve Indonesia’s labor market readiness and enhance the country’s reputation abroad.