Indonesia Ministry of Manpower launches triple skilling strategy for AI

Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower is implementing a ‘triple skilling’ (3S) strategy to prepare the young workforce for the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor stated that AI should be viewed as an opportunity to accelerate national and global productivity rather than a threat.

The 3S strategy consists of three distinct approaches: upskilling to enhance existing skills for technological relevance, reskilling to help workers transition to new sectors following disruption, and cross-skilling to provide a combination of multi-disciplinary expertise for greater career flexibility.

This initiative aims to address the challenges of Indonesia's demographic bonus, where over 68 percent of the population is of productive age. Officials warned that this large population could become a ‘boomerang’ if a skill mismatch occurs between young graduates and the actual needs of the modern job market. To mitigate this, the Ministry is reorienting vocational training curricula to integrate AI literacy, data analysis, automation, and soft skills such as critical thinking and ethics.