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programs.
From 2018 to 2019, Facebook visited 15 cities in Indonesia as part of its “Laju Digital” campaign, including in the eastern part of the country, to provide training for SMEs, communities, local governments and students so they can better utilize the company’s platforms.
Meanwhile, Apple launched its third Apple Developer Academy in the world in BSD, Tangerang, in 2018 to equip students with “world class” web development skills relevant to Indonesia, said Industry Minister Airlangga HArtato.
Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara described these human capital trainings as added value that multinational tech giants could bring to the table in Indonesia to boost the country’s ability to provide “local content” for the skills side of the digital economy.
Such steps to develop the national workforce conform with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s goal to foster well-educated workers who can contribute to the nation’s economy through increased productivity and innovation. Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia research head Mohammad Faisal said the trend was positive, as it could help push down the open unemployment rate, adding that it was typical to see companies follow a president's agenda during their presidency.
However, he still urged the government to expand skills training and job opportunities for the digital economy’s formal sector by working with industry players, as recent Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data shows that the informal sector accounts for 57.27 percent of employment nationwide.
The shift, he said, would be important as the formal sector generally offered higher and more stable pay in addition to better work allowances. Indonesia’s digital skills gap has dragged downed the country’s competitiveness, with it being out performed by its neighbors Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2018 World Competitiveness Report. Mediocre human capital and low expenditure on research and development have also hindered domestic innovation and technological advancements, according to the report.