Failure to match the supply and demand in the employment market will impede our effort to utilize the demographic bonus opportunity. Hence, it could be a bonus, but it could also be a burdenJakarta (ANTARA) - Improving human resource (HR) quality is a must to optimize opportunities from the expected boom in productive national human resources, the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) has said.
"If the quality of population among the demographic bonus is not maintained, it will threaten the demographic bonus itself," BKKBN's deputy for population control, Bonivasius Prasetya Ichtiarto, explained here on Tuesday.
Indonesia's population is expected to increase until 2050, and 70 percent of the nation’s population will be in the productive age group in the 2020–2045 period, he highlighted.
The BKKBN deputy said that the demand for unskilled labor in the global employment market will decrease as the demand for professional workers surges.
Indonesia needs to address the childhood stunting issue that could reduce its potential to achieve a high-quality population that could compete at the global level, he noted.
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"Failure to match the supply and demand in the employment market will impede our effort to utilize the demographic bonus opportunity. Hence, it could be a bonus, but it could also be a burden," Ichtiarto cautioned.
A quality population must be developed before birth to ensure newborns do not suffer from stunting, he said.
Correct policies, such as an improvement in the healthcare system and skills development, would also support the achievement of the demographic bonus, he added.
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To enhance population quality, BKKBN has developed quality family villages nationwide to develop human resources, family, and social qualities by utilizing current technology, Ichtiarto informed.
The agency has also developed the healthy public kitchen program as a measure to prevent stunting growth and a medium to educate residents about the importance of balanced nutrients in their daily diet, he noted.
"If we want to optimize the demographic bonus, we must (conceive) multi-sectoral, multi-party collaborations with various stakeholders," the agency deputy remarked.
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Translator: Hreeloita DS, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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