Indonesia's National Internship Program Claimed It Will Absorb 20,000 Fresh Graduates

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor claimed that the 2025 national internship program will provide opportunities for 20,000 new fresh graduates to gain work experience and receive state incentives.

Afriansyah stated that the program follows up on President Prabowo Subianto's directive. The goal is to accelerate the absorption of young workers through structured internship mechanisms in various skills-based industrial sectors that align with current job market needs.

"So, this first program, launched in 2025, is based on the President's order through the Ministry of Manpower. We are targeting 20,000 interns who have only graduated one year, so they are not yet working. These are the levels of D1, D2, D3, and S1," Afriansyah said when met in Jakarta on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Afriansyah explained that internship participants will be facilitated through an application portal. Registration can begin this Tuesday. The selection process is transparent, easy, and linked to company needs.

The Ministry of Manpower, he said, acts as a facilitator, bridging the gap between skilled graduates and private companies offering internships in their respective fields of expertise.

The government will provide an incentive equivalent to the district or city minimum wage for six months for each intern placed with a private company willing to accept them.

"And the government will provide an incentive for six months, equal to the minimum wage. So, a maximum of Rp3.3 million, equal to the minimum wage," he explained.

Afriansyah emphasized that the system prioritizes efficiency in work locations so that participants can intern in their hometowns without incurring additional costs for housing or transportation.

He hopes this program will be an important bridge for Indonesia's young generation to improve their competencies, expand their industrial networks, and accelerate the transition to permanent, productive employment.

The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower noted that 451 companies have applied to host the National Internship Program, covering 1,300 positions and approximately 6,000 prospective interns.

A total of 20,000 recent university graduates will participate in the National Internship Program for six months (October 15, 2025 - April 15, 2026), with the number of new graduates expected to increase if freshman interest continues to grow.

The National Internship Program is part of the 2025 "8+4+5" Economic Package launched by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs under the direction of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. This program targets Diploma (D1-D4) and Bachelor's (S1) graduates who graduated within the last year.

Anwar Sanusi, Head of the Ministry of Manpower's Development and Development Agency (Barenbang), explained that registration for internship providers and the number of vacancies will be held from October 1-7, 2025. Subsequently, participant registration will take place from October 7-12, 2025, and participants will select vacancies.

The selection process will then take place from October 13 to 14, 2025, with the Ministry of Manpower announcing the participants. The internship program will run from October 15, 2025, to April 15, 2026.

Anwar Sanusi stated that registration and management of the internship program will be carried out through the SIAPKerja account at maganghub.kemnaker.go.id.

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