Indonesia, New Zealand to Explore Collaboration in Manpower Sector

Jakarta, InfoPublik - The governments of Indonesia and the New Zealand  planned to collaborate in manpower sector, including the efforts to increase Indonesian workers’ competitiveness.

"Manpower development is one of the government’s concerns at this time," Manpower Minister Muhammad H anif Dhakiri said while receiving the New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Trevor Matheson at the Ministry office in Jakarta, Tuesday (1/31).

At the meeting, they also discussed the importance of boosting Indonesian workers’ competitiveness through various cooperation, considering that more than 60 percent of 125.44 million of Indonesian workforce are elementary or junior high school graduates.

This condition, according to the minister, had made the absorbed workforce  in certain professions found it difficult to raise their career level.

“They did not have access to continue their education to university because they did not have senior high school certificates and they were also ineligible to enlist in senior high school because of their age," Hanif said.

In addition, Hanif continued, they could not become  entrepreneur due to lack of skill and experiences. Therefore, the employment issue has become one of the government’s current development priorities. "We are open to foreign investment on vocational training," he concluded. (Translator: Rina Alexandra)