The Most Sought After Profession for Digital Startups in Indonesia

The rapid development of the digital economy opens up employment opportunities and new types of jobs that did not exist before. Based on data from Indonesia’s Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), the workforce needs for the digital sector are around 600 thousand people per year and still cannot be met.

The need is high because many technology companies have been born in recent years. So what kind of jobs are the most sought after by startups in Indonesia? Software Engineer of Gojek, Giri Kuncoro, said that extensive engineering was the most needed in the digital sector today.

Giri said that this sector needs experts involved in product development. For example, there is an engineer, data scientist, product manager, product designer, and researcher. Although it is developing rapidly, the digital economy in Indonesia is still very young and needs more fixes.

He also said that the current curriculum is still not qualified enough to generate human resources according to the needs of the digital industry. It would be a great work for the government to revise the curriculum to meet the need of the digital industry which is going faster.

The Digital Workforce Needs Will Reach 17 Million People

The government even projects that in 2030 with the rapid development of the digital economy, the workforce needed will reach 17 million people. It means that there would be many opportunities in the digital industry. Thus, there should be good programs to prepare human resources.

Previously, based on the latest report from Temasek, Google, and Bain Company titled e-Conomy SEA 2019 stated that Indonesia and Vietnam are the two countries with the fastest digital economic growth in the South East Asia. The report states that Indonesia’s digital economy will have a value of USD 40 billion.

Indonesia’s digital economy has grown four times since 2015. The average growth is 49% per year. “As the fastest-growing internet economy in the region, Indonesia is on the right track to penetrate (the digital economic value) of USD 130 billion in 2025,” Temasek, Google, and Bain Company wrote.

Currently, Indonesia has many startups that are running in a variety of industries. Most of them have applied to digital technology. For this reason, Indonesian workers who are not literate about the digital industry may lose their job soon because of the digital era transformation.

This Is the Most Needed Job for RI Startup and Its Salary

Then, what are the most needed jobs in Indonesia in this digital era transformation and their salary? According to the report of Kelly Services entitled Indonesia 2019 Salary Guide, a Product Manager gets the highest salary with up to IDR 55 million salary rates.

Meanwhile, there is also System Engineer which receives a salary between IDR 16 million to 50 million. Software Developer is another high-paying job with a salary starting from IDR 15 million to 40 million. Another job mentioned is Data Analyst that receives IDR 11 million to 27 million.

Next, there is also a Java Programmer. A Java Programmer typically receives around IDR 10 million to 20 million. Software QA or Test Analyst is also one of the most needed jobs in Indonesia. A Software QA in Indonesia can receive around IDR 8.8 million to 13 million.

The era of digitalization has changed the way people think, live, and relate to one another. Significant changes in the field of technology also cause changes in other fields such as economic, social, and political. This will also affect the changing needs of human resources too.

However, there are still many human resources that have not been able to deal with it. Of course, it will take time to be able to follow the development of the industry. In today’s digitalization era, special skills are needed in dealing with new technology.