Jakarta, October 28, 2025 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Minister of Manpower Yassierli has called on workers to proactively prepare for two transformative trends reshaping the global labor market — the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the transition toward green industries.
“If these trends go unaddressed, foreign workers could take over domestic jobs,” Yassierli warned in a statement issued in Jakarta on Tuesday. “We must ensure that opportunities remain within our own country.”
He underscored that labor unions, including those in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), play a pivotal role in helping workers navigate these changes. “I believe labor unions have an important role in addressing these issues,” he said, emphasizing the need for a fair and inclusive transition that leaves no one behind.
Yassierli further highlighted that Indonesia’s competitiveness can be strengthened by upholding three traditional social values — gotong royong (mutual cooperation), kinship, and consensus. “These values are the nation’s unique strengths and can serve as vital assets to enhance Indonesia’s competitiveness,” he stated.
Expressing concern that these values are fading in workplaces, the minister reminded that the spirit of togetherness once enabled the country to overcome numerous challenges. “Indonesians are inherently accustomed to working across functions and fostering team solidarity through the culture of mutual cooperation,” he said.
Yassierli encouraged labor unions to revive this spirit to collectively face technological disruptions and the green transition. He also called for a transformation in industrial relations to strengthen collaboration between management and labor unions.
According to him, this transformation should foster an ecosystem based on kinship, inclusivity, and collective progress. “We must encourage companies to adopt not only an inward-looking but also an outward-looking perspective,” Yassierli said. “That approach will help businesses grow, support communities, and enable enterprises of all sizes — including MSMEs and their suppliers — to thrive together,” he added.
Yassierli Urges Workers to Adapt to AI and Green Industry Shifts
