In Indonesia, the past two decades have been a time of great progress but also massive transformations and abrupt setbacks. In this context, this book reviews the main characteristics of - and trends in - demand for skills in Indonesia. It seeks to document the existence of a possible skills mismatch between employer demands and the available supply, the contribution of the education and training sector to this mismatch, and possible measures to improve the education and training system's responsiveness to what the labor market and the economy need. In today's job market in Indonesia, there appears to be a premium on theoretical and practical knowledge of the job. While skills do not appear to be yet among the most important constraints for the economy, the situation is different for larger more export-oriented manufacturing firms. Subjective assessments of difficulties of matching needs with available skills provide evidence that skills are becoming an issue overall in Indonesia. The widest gaps across professional profiles are for English and computer skills followed by thinking and behavioral skills. Theoretical and practical knowledge of the job are also considered to be weak. There are important gaps in creativity, computing and some technical skills for young workers. English remains the largest gap. Five general skill related priorities can be highlighted for Indonesia. First, the country needs to improve skill measurement to get a fuller understanding of skill needs and gaps. Second, it is urgent for Indonesia to address the still unsatisfactory quality and relevance of its formal education, including higher education. Third, the country needs to set-up multiple pathways for skill development. Fourth, the country needs to develop an integrated approach to tackle skill development for youth. Fifth, Indonesia should also tackle labor market constraints which affect the skill matching process.

This edited volume examines how forces of globalization, demographic and technological change are manifested and accommodated in an emerging economy such as Indonesia, which has a large workforce pool. Using the human resource development framework, the book explains the opportunities and challenges in developing human capabilities to support current and future living standards. It looks at human development challenges across the spectrum of workforce skills and across the spectrum of formal and informal labour markets. Through the case study on Indonesia, this book presents many of the features and issues that are present in emerging economies as they grapple with human resource development in the globalized and networked era. This book will appeal to researchers and policy makers working in the areas of human resource and economic development.

The book focuses on Indonesia's most pressing labor market challenges and associated policy options to achieve higher and more inclusive economic growth. The challenges consist of creating jobs for and the skills in a youthful and increasingly better educated workforce, and raising the productivity of less-educated workers to meet the demands of the digital age. The book deals with a range of interrelated topics---the changing supply and demand for labor in relation to the shift of workers out of agriculture; urbanization and the growth of megacities; raising the quality of schooling for new jobs in the digital economy; and labor market policies to improve both labor standards and productivity.

Indonesia faces the twin challenge of maintaining high economic growth and making growth more inclusive. Most policymakers now agree that better jobs and greater productivity are fundamental for sustaining rapid and more inclusive growth. Improved productivity is essential to maintaining the country's competitiveness. Better jobs are critical for improving living standards and reducing poverty. This book focuses on Indonesia's most pressing labor market challenges and associated policy options. It provides a clear understanding of the labor market, demographic and labor force transitions, and the role of education and skills development to build the foundation for sustainable growth for the next generation.