Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower Prof. Anwar Sanusi PhD when explaining the opportunities and challenges of the job market in Indonesia

ITS Campus, ITS News — In an effort to prepare the younger generation to face the complexity of the national job market, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) held a public lecture together with the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker). The activity, which was held at the Auditorium of the ITS Research Center Building, Friday (11/22), was dominated by final semester students with the title Opportunities and Challenges of Work in the Era of Society 5.0.

This public lecture was held as a form of synergy and collaboration between the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and universities to equip students with relevant skills and high competitiveness to enter the global job market. Moreover, the rapid changes in conditions in the era of society 5.0 require students, as prospective workers, to have the ability to adapt to the dynamics of the job market.

In the public lecture, the Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower, Prof. Anwar Sanusi PhD, explained in depth the employment conditions in Indonesia. He highlighted that technological capabilities are one of the main indicators in winning the competition in the job market. “How the increasingly advanced era of digital technology not only creates new challenges, but also opens up great opportunities for the national workforce,” said Anwar.

Indonesia, which will reach its peak in the number of productive age population in the next few years, has great potential to utilize the demographic bonus as a strategic advantage. However, without strategic steps, the demographic bonus actually risks increasing unemployment and social inequality. Therefore, synergy is needed between the government, universities, and industry to ensure that the younger generation is ready to face the dynamics of the global job market.

Participants in the general lecture were dominated by final semester ITS students in obtaining employment material.

The man born in Probolinggo also provided motivation to the students present to be able to become workers who continue to learn, develop their potential, and expand their networks. “What will be assessed later, in addition to the abilities we have, is how far we want to continue to learn and try to develop our potential,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vice Rector III for Human Resources, Organization, and Information System Technology ITS Imam Baihaqi ST MSc PhD in his speech gave advice to the students. He emphasized the importance of expanding interpersonal skills in addition to studying a particular field of science. “Students must be able to develop relevant soft skills to be ready to compete in the world of work,” he said.

The graduate of Monash University, Australia also reminded that interpersonal skills are very important for students as prospective workers. This ability can help them convey ideas and concepts more effectively, both to colleagues and superiors. This, said Imam, is one of the keys to success in entering the very dynamic modern job market.

He likened these skills to the T model. In this analogy, a worker needs to have in-depth competence in a particular field, but also expand other abilities such as communication, negotiation, and collaboration. “With the T model, students not only excel in one field, but also have the flexibility to collaborate with various parties and develop their potential,” he explained.

Gerald Nathanael, one of the ITS students participating in the public lecture, asked his question during the question and answer session.

One of the students participating in the activity, Gerald Nathanael, also gave his response regarding the employment conditions in Indonesia. He admitted that he understood the existing problems, such as the increasing unemployment rate and the mismatch between the workforce and the needs of companies.

On the other hand, Gerald also gave great hope to the government in overcoming these problems. Regarding the problem of adjusting the workforce needed by companies, he hopes that the government can provide more training that can support the competence and readiness of prospective workers.

In addition, the final semester student of the ITS Chemical Engineering Department also said that through this activity, he and other students were able to gain new insights in facing the world of work later. “With this activity, the hope is that an understanding of the needs of the workforce that is in accordance with the job market can be obtained more clearly,” he hoped. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Bella Ramadhani