UI EMPLOYER FORUM PARTNERSHIP GATHERING: JOB MARKET IN THE DIGITAL ERA REQUIRES SKILLFUL AND CRITICAL HR
The results of the National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) from the Central Bureau of Statistics in the period of August 2022 show that the total Indonesian workforce is 143.72 million with a labor force participation rate of 68.63%, dominated by millennials and generation Z. Head of Center for Labor Market, Ministry Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Muchamad Yusuf, S.T., M.Sc., said in front of the audience who attended at the Makara Art Center (MAC), Universitas Indonesia (UI), yesterday (Tuesday, 28/02) that job seekers, especially from generation Z, have unique and different preferences from previous generations. This is caused by changes in technology.
According to Yusuf, there are three factors that pose challenges and have influenced changes in the national and international job market. First, the technological changes from 4.0 to 5.0. This causes the loss of many jobs as well as the growth of new jobs. Second, changes in work patterns as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which has led to more choices of ways of working, starting from Work from Home and so on. Third, demographic changes that have led to an increase in migration flows of workers around the world. These things change the pattern or standard in the national and global job market.
“As a consequence, these changes drive job seekers and employers to make adjustments to the current pattern of work and relationships,” he said. It is not easy for companies to get prospective workers with the skills needed, and it is also difficult for prospective workers to get these skills at training institutions or educational institutions.
“Therefore, partnership schemes between universities and employers to get talented workers and dialogue between companies and students needs to be carried out more frequently,” said Yusuf again. Realizing this need, UI through the Directorate of Career Development and Alumni Relations (DPKHA) held the UI Employer Forum Partnership Gathering event as a meeting place between UI and employer partners to find the best cooperation scheme in obtaining talented prospective workers from UI graduates.
The forum was attended by Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Assets Prof. Dr. Ir. Dedi Priadi, DEA.; Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris; Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp,OF(K); UI Secretary dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D.; as well as various stakeholders from the government, state institutions, public and private sectors, and national and multinational corporations.
According to Prof. Dedi, technological advances and digital developments have opened up opportunities for various parties to break away from traditional work models through agile and productive collaboration. In this case, higher education is a locus for changing needs of the world of work by focusing on developing transformational skills which include the ability to work in teams, written and oral communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, digital literacy, and the ability to adapt to the surroundings.
The importance of the university’s role in providing talented graduates with the skills needed by the world of work is in line with UI’s vision of moving towards an entrepreneurial university. Various efforts are continuously being made so that UI can become an entrepreneurial university that is included in the ranks of the 100 best universities in the world.
According to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris, UI continues to transform itself as it was originally a teaching university included in the QS Top 300 and then became a research university included in the QS Top 200. “This is our dream that UI has transformed from a teaching university to a research university and become an entrepreneurial university, which is a part of our ambition. To support our goals, academics in the faculties have carried out many ideas and activities, such as reputation management, global cooperation, recruitment of quality human resources, and a focus on sustainability,” said Prof. Harris.
To answer the needs of employer partners, UI opens various programs and activities, such as soft skills seminars for pro-graduates; career planning for pre-graduates; Career Counseling (Career Clinic); alumni lectures; Career Talk (CEO Talk); Career Coaching; entrepreneurial leadership consultation; cooperation with companies in career seminars and guest lectures; as well as collaboration with UI Alumni Association and Student Executive Board of UI.
Director of DPKHA UI Ir. Ahmad Syafiq, M.Sc., Ph.D. said, “Partners can choose one or many programs of interest. These programs are certainly aimed at improving the relations of employer partners with UI’s best graduate candidates.”
Author: Sasa
