KEMENKO PMK – As an effort to prepare superior human resources (HR) in welcoming the demographic bonus in the digital era, the productive age group must be equipped with skills that are able to develop their potential, both as employees and entrepreneurs.

"If the demographic bonus is successful in increasing the employment rate, then we will be able to become a developed country. But the threat is aging-population, Indonesia is very vulnerable if we can't get past the demographic bonus era," said Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy when he was a resource person at the UHAMKA Postgraduate School Public Lecture virtually, Saturday (5/03/2020).

Also present at the virtual public lecture, UHAMKA Chancellor Gunawan Suryoputro, Chair and Members of the UHAMKA Senate, UHAMKA Vice Chancellors and UHAMKA Masters and Doctoral Program Students.

Muhajir added, building quality human resources is not an easy job. The government has prepared a concept of HR development strategy in an effort to present Superior HR which is developed to cover all stages of human life and is a continuous process.

The government has provided comprehensive human development program and policy interventions.

"In short, through comprehensive and integrated intervention in the human capital life cycle, there will be a positive loop in the development of Indonesian human resources," he added.

The preparation of superior human resources begins with ensuring premarital health conditions, intervention during pregnancy, nutritional intake during the period from childhood to primary and secondary education, as well as providing training programs to prepare someone to enter the workforce, and increase competence or acquire new skills.

"The productive age group must also have sufficient income and be able to save, thereby contributing to increasing national savings as an important capital for development," explained the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

Muhajir added, the challenges of the world of work are getting tougher along with the demographic bonus era. According to statistical data from the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2020, a rough estimate of high school graduates is 3.6 million per year, and only 1.3 million can continue to college. Meanwhile, per year, universities graduate 1.3 million students. Then there are 46 million people who work and 9 million unemployed.

"From the total data, at least the state must provide up to 2 million new jobs per year. And this is the toughest challenge, of course, with the demographic bonus," he added.

Aging-Population

Currently, Indonesia is entering a period of demographic bonus, where the number of productive age groups is greater than the number of non-productive age groups. Even the peak of the demographic bonus is expected to advance in 2030.

After the demographic bonus, the productive age population which previously dominated will automatically shift to an old age population and will enter the era of the aging population.

“The threat is that those who are productive will become elderly, if they are of productive age they don't do anything productive. Don't have savings and so on and it will burden the country," he concluded.

Therefore, the momentum of the demographic bonus must be maintained and utilized effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to massively implement the implementation of Presidential Regulation 72/2021, so that the stunting rate decreases through comprehensive handling; control various types of diseases, and realize complete basic immunization.

The demographic bonus momentum must also be accompanied by the growth of new economic centers that are synchronized with the development of vocational education; give women more roles; and increase the skills of productive age in accordance with the latest technological developments.

Quoted from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture:

https://www.kemenkopmk.go.id/pemerintah-siap-kan-sdm-unggul-di-era-bonus-demografi