The Pre-Employment Card (Kartu Prakerja) Program, initiated by President Joko Widodo as a response to the surge in unemployment during the pandemic, now faces uncertainty at the beginning of 2025. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), open unemployment remains high, reaching 7.28 million people in early 2025, with 26,455 cases of layoffs recorded.
Since its launch in 2020 until 2024, the program has supported 18.9 million beneficiaries, including 1.4 million workers in 2024 alone. The program provides digital-based training and financial incentives amounting to IDR 4,200,000 per participant, aiming to enhance skills and productivity among job seekers.
Although it has proven effective in reaching its target audience, the program continues to face several challenges, such as low digital literacy, limited internet access, and insufficient public outreach. Its future is now in question following the government’s plan to transfer management to the Ministry of Manpower, which ironically has faced a 57.1% budget cut.
Critics argue that unemployment has not yet been treated as a policy priority, even though the Pre-Employment Card Program has shown tangible positive impacts in improving skills and strengthening the competitiveness of Indonesia’s workforce. For this reason, ensuring the continuity of the program and focusing on the creation of decent and sustainable jobs should be a serious commitment of the government moving forward.
This issue directly connects to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), which emphasizes access to lifelong learning and training, and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), which underscores the importance of inclusive growth, productive employment, and decent work opportunities for all.
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