Speaking at the Indonesia Green Jobs Conference (IGJC) 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday, Rachmat emphasized that transitioning the workforce toward sustainable sectors is a vital component of Indonesia's national development strategy.
Under its national development roadmap, Indonesia aims to increase the share of new and renewable energy in its primary energy mix from 20 percent to 70 percent by 2045.
Achieving just half of this objective, Rachmat noted, would generate millions of new employment opportunities across energy, manufacturing, forestry, agriculture, tourism, and marine sectors.
"If we are not careful and do not immediately create more green jobs, the entire world will face difficulties together," the minister said.
Bappenas data shows that 3.45 million people, or 2.5 percent of Indonesia's workforce, are currently employed in environmental conservation roles.
Meanwhile, an estimated 49.12 million workers—representing 36.5 percent of the labor force—have the potential to transition into green jobs.
To expand this labor pool, Bappenas is developing new national criteria, indicators, and indices to categorize low-carbon, water-efficient, and renewable-energy-aligned jobs across agriculture and industry.
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"This transformation is not just about changing where people work, but also changing the form of work, changing work processes, changing the technology used, and changing the required competencies," Rachmat added.
To implement the initiative, the government has established three main strategies: building a supportive industry ecosystem, enhancing vocational education for workforce readiness, as well as strengthening partnerships between the government, private sector, and labor groups.
"Let's make this green transformation a momentum to produce a future-ready Indonesian workforce and create a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy," Rachmat added.
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Translator: M. Baqir Idrus Alatas, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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