Youth Unemployment in Indonesia – 22% of the 15-24 years

Youth unemployment in Indonesia is alarmingly high – 22% of Indonesians between 15 and 24 years old cannot find a job. There is pressure on the newly installed Widodo government to provide more jobs for youths in labour-intensive sectors.

Vocational school students in Indonesia play an important role in providing growth in the country’s manufacturing sector. Each year, 1.3 million students graduate from vocational schools and many have job offers even before they graduate.

However a fifth of young men and almost a third of young women in Indonesia cannot seem to land a job. There are worries rampant unemployment could lead to an erosion of social values, and often, violence. But, employers said Indonesia’s rigid laws make it hard to hire people.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce’s Vice-Chairman of Trade and International Economic Cooperation, Chris Kanter, said: “You must be able to provide a situation where it is easy hiring and easy firing. What we have, our law here, is not the case. Severance payment is one of the highest. Minimum wage now is double and it is not based on productivity.”

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Indonesia’s youth unemployment alarmingly high – Channel NewsAsia.