Bridging Indonesia’s deepening youth development gap
A successful village-first economic agenda requires transforming raw internet access into real opportunity before millions of disengaged young Indonesians are left behind.
Indonesia faces a growing concern as a significant number of its youth are not engaged in employment, education, or training. This issue is particularly pronounced in the country's villages, where young people are at risk of being left behind. On Indonesia's Independence Day, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the need for young Indonesians to become entrepreneurs within their communities, rather than seeking jobs in big cities.
This vision is rooted in the lessons learned from the 1998 Asian financial crisis, when grassroots businesses helped sustain the economy. However, the challenge remains in transforming raw internet access into real opportunities for millions of disengaged young Indonesians. According to the 2024 National Economic Survey, 20.31% of young Indonesians, or nearly 9.9 million people, are classified as NEET, with over 44 million people in this demographic cohort.
This elevated rate could squander Indonesia's demographic dividend. The situation is exacerbated by a significant gender gap, with 26.3% of young women being NEET, compared to 16.7% of young men.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
