Skills and talent hold the keys to Indonesia’s digital future

Originally published at The Jakarta Post on November 20, 2019

From envisioning a new, digitally-powered ‘golden age’ to selecting a tech CEO in his cabinet, President Widodo couldn’t have been any clearer: technology will make or break Indonesia’s progress in the 21st century. 

Indonesia has tremendous potential to be a digital power on a global scale, maybe even to rival countries like China, India and Japan. The latest ‘eConomy Southeast Asia’ report from Google, Temasek and Bain and Company, released last month, found that Indonesia continues to be the region’s largest and fastest growing internet economy, valued at $40 billion in GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) and on its way to $130 billion by 2025. 

The question is, how do we harness that growth not just to benefit the privileged few, but to advance progress for all Indonesians?  

Working overseas, I took great pride in the rise of unicorns like Bukalapak, Gojek, Tokopedia and Traveloka. I still do now that I’m back. They’re some of Google’s most important partners and they’ve built services and created jobs that benefit millions of people here and beyond.  

But over the 12 months since I came home, I’ve also seen a different side of Indonesia’s digital transformation. 

I’ve seen the impact of technology for small business owners like Sherly Santa, a midwife who turned to selling durians, signed up for digital skills training through Google’s Women Will program, and used online tools to find customers, grow sales and employ more staff. I’ve heard inspiring stories of technology being harnessed for good - like the Developer Student Clubs campus leaders at PENS University who built an app to warn local villages in Bojonegoro about impending floods. And I’ve been blown away by incredible students still at school, like 16-year-old Celestine Wenardy, who won an award at the global Google Science Fair for her innovations in blood glucose monitoring technology.

The common theme here isn’t so much technology itself, but what people do when you give them the ability to use it. When we talk about ‘human capital’, it’s not an abstract concept: it’s what happens when people get the chance to improve their lives, build a business or help others. 

Indonesians are as ambitious, creative and entrepreneurial as anyone else in the world. With more than 260 million people, the country has a talent pool that few other nations can match. Our challenge is the gap between the size of the opportunity technology creates, and the digital skills required to unlock that opportunity for as many Indonesians as possible. Closing that gap is one of the most urgent and important things we can do to shape the strong future Indonesia deserves, and avoid a ‘digital divide’ that could hold the country back.  

As the latest eConomy report makes clear, the digital revolution in Indonesia is already well underway--what we need are skills revolution to go with it. 

That means equipping more of our small businesses - in all sectors - to use the internet, grow sales and export. It means expanding training programs to those who might have missed out in the past, in particular women and Indonesians outside of major cities. It means supporting the next wave of developers, engineers and start-up founders working on the next big ideas to advance our technological progress. It means investing now for future generations, training our teachers in computer science skills so they, in turn, can prepare our kids for the changing economy. And, critically, it means doing all of this responsibly - educating Indonesians on how to control their data, protect their privacy, and identify misinformation online. 

At this year’s Google for Indonesia event in Jakarta, we announced initiatives in many of these areas - from expanded skills programs and new tools for small businesses, to a new partnership called bangk!t (g.co/growindonesia) with Gojek, Tokopedia and Traveloka to back promising developers, to initiatives to train journalists and improve media literacy. Just as we’re proud of the way Indonesians use our tools to get ahead, we embrace our responsibility to ensure no Indonesians are left behind. With more than one million Indonesians already having gone through Google-supported training programs, we’re seeing good progress and real results. But we’re under no illusion that the job is finished.  

Skilling Indonesia for a strong digital future will take a sustained commitment and grassroots partnerships in every part of the country. It will take creative approaches designed with local communities. It will take big businesses, small businesses, local authorities, the education sector and NGOs all working together towards a shared goal: giving every Indonesian the chance to benefit from the empowering opportunities that digital skills create.   

It’s a big challenge, but one I know Indonesia is equal to. Together, we can grow the economy, unleash innovation, create jobs and compete with anyone on the global stage. I’m excited about what the future holds - and I’m looking forward to Google playing its part to ensure that as Indonesia moves forward, all of us move forward together.