"Responding to the employment crisis as a dilemma and paradox for Indonesian Gen-Z youth"

This is a Response to the Pemuda Bersuara Berdaya wikithon

The employment crisis has become an important issue in developing countries, including Indonesia. In Indonesia itself, the issue of the job market crisis is a big problem which can result in many unemployed people, none other than young men and women with graduates. Without realizing it, this can hamper the aspirations of Indonesia itself, namely to become a developed country, because human resources for graduates are only symbols without job opportunities. Problem: The employment crisis can create an imbalance between the number of jobs and the workforce, especially young graduates who tend to want to work in government, causing intense competition and giving rise to a feeling of dilemma for every graduate student, because it is difficult to get a job because of the tight competition, so they have to force and challenge yourself to potentially create your own business beyond the basics. The unemployment rate among youth is quite high, also caused by a lack of skills that match market needs and the high number of college graduates. On the other hand, many industrial sectors lack skilled labor. This creates a mismatch between the qualifications young people have and what employers are looking for. Apart from that, there are also cultural factors that influence, such as the perception that jobs in the formal sector are more prestigious, even though the informal sector also offers opportunities. This crisis is not only an economic problem, but also affects the mental health and future of the younger generation. Therefore, collaboration between government, the private sector and educational institutions is needed to create effective solutions, such as targeted training programs and increasing access to entrepreneurship.

The problem of mismatch between industrial needs and the qualifications of the new workforce, especially generation Z, has given rise to the dilemma of increasing unemployment rates in Indonesia. The Indonesian Minister of Manpower said that the statistics for the largest group of unemployed were vocational school graduates, the percentage was 8.9%. Not only that, BPS data also shows that the generation born from 1997 to 2010 is the main contributor to unemployment and the TPT is 16.82%. Apindo also reported that weaknesses emerged in capital-intensive industries and labor-intensive industries in absorbing employment. With data like this, a sense of dilemma arises and becomes a paradox or challenge so that Gen-Z youth tend to become informal rather than formal sector workers. They will create flexible work without being bound by time and place and perhaps for them there will be satisfaction in the income they earn, for example being a content creator, YouTuber and other social media platforms. An informal sector like this can become a small business for Gen-Z. Seeing the situation and changes in work styles like this, regional government extensions should immediately pay attention to this situation. There are definitely two options, namely first, the government supports the informal sector, by strengthening economic infrastructure through technology and innovation, although technology can reduce the need for labor in some formal sectors, innovation can also create new jobs but with the consequence, taxes are not imposed on the informal sector . Or secondly, the government must create productive employment opportunities through increasing education and investment training in vocational education and training that is relevant to the needs of the job market. Appropriate skills training programs can help the workforce adapt to technological and industry changes.

The importance of paying attention to the issue of the employment crisis is especially from the perspective of regional governments or regional leaders. Many do not work and are unemployed. High unemployment rates can cause a variety of social problems, including poverty, crime, and mental health problems. There is a need for government collaborative efforts to develop solutions that can help answer the dilemmas and paradoxes of Indonesian Gen-Z youth. Don't let unemployment be the absolute answer because usually unemployment is never seen as a problem in itself. Unemployment is considered a problem, because this will create other problems, such as poverty, increased crime, and so on. In other words, unemployment is never seen as a problem in itself. In itself, unemployment is actually a paradox: people do not work, but their minds are filled with work, precisely the desire to get a job. Physical and mental exercise to get a job is actually work too. The common sense statement: lawyers (unemployment many events) shows exactly the paradoxical side of unemployment. In an unemployed person's free time, his mind is filled with work. The question is: Why is work so important? Is it about money? Maybe the answer is yes. However, we believe that work is not just about money, but about satisfaction which also includes trust, recognition and pride.

Affiliation: Universitas Bosowa
Age: 22-30