Indonesia labor data shows high unemployment among graduates

Recent data from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reveals a complex unemployment landscape across different regions and education levels. In East Java, while the overall Open Unemployment Rate (TPT) fell to 3.55 percent—lower than the national average of 4.68 percent—university graduates face a paradox with a TPT of 6.04 percent. This exceeds the unemployment rates for high school (SMA) and vocational school (SMK) graduates.

Nationally, the number of unemployed individuals with higher education degrees has risen, with approximately 1.03 million people holding bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees. Minister of Manpower Yassierli noted that the existence of roughly 900,000 unemployed graduates is a significant reality facing the country.

In Batu City, the situation for high school (SMA) graduates is particularly acute, with their unemployment rate surging to 7.26 percent. Local BPS officials attribute this to a lack of specific vocational training in the general SMA curriculum compared to SMK graduates, leaving them at a disadvantage in a competitive job market that requires technical hard skills.