Minister urges workers to prepare for AI, green industry shift

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Manpower Yassierli has urged workers to prepare for two major shifts reshaping the world of work — disruption from artificial intelligence (AI) and the transition toward green industries.

“If these trends go unaddressed, foreign workers could take over domestic jobs,” Yassierli said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“We must ensure that opportunities remain within our own country,” he said.

The minister emphasized that labor unions, including those in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), play a crucial role in helping workers adapt to these changes.

“I believe labor unions have an important role in addressing these issues,” he stated.

The goal is to embrace the AI era and the green transition in a fair and inclusive manner that leaves no one behind.

Yassierli said Indonesia must strengthen its competitiveness by drawing on 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 added.

He expressed concern that such values are beginning to fade in workplaces, even though 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.

The minister encouraged labor unions to revive that spirit to collectively face disruptions from AI and the transformation toward green industries.

He also called for a transformation of industrial relations to build a shared vision between management and labor unions.

According to him, this transformation will strengthen an industrial relations 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.