Challenges And Opportunities In Maintaining The Sustainability Of The App Economy In Indonesia

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A report from Access Partnership, 'Accelerating the app economy in Indonesia: Android and Google Play's impact in Indonesia', states that Android and Google Play are the drivers of the global cellular economy in Indonesia.

However, even though the application industry is developing in Indonesia, this industry also faces major barriers that require attention.

This report highlights some of the main challenges faced, including digital accessibility, limited digital adoption among MSMEs, lack of skilled workers in technology, and 80 percent of Indonesia's population who still lack internet access.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the Indonesian economy. However, only 32 percent use digital tools so that they have lagged behind the global trend.

For this reason, digital adoption among MSMEs through targeted grants and comprehensive training programs can encourage economic growth and resilience.

"Learning from the success of initiatives in Korea and Malaysia, facilitating this sector through grants, investments, and comprehensive training programs has enormous potential," said Abhineet Kaul, Director of Access Partnership in a statement on Google's official blog, quoted Sunday 17 September.

Meanwhile, the current shortage of workers in the technology sector, around 600,000 each year, encourages Indonesia's need to improve digital skills, to develop applications to remain competitive.

The collaboration between application developers is said to be very helpful in improving skills that support the economic growth of applications in Indonesia.

Then, creating a technology innovation ecosystem and supporting the development of smart cities can increase Indonesia's role as a leading technology center in the region.

Fitra Senior Economy Faishal also agreed to this. He said that by implementing these policies strategically, Indonesia could overcome challenges and completely remove potential from its application economy.

"This effort ensures that the progress made in the digital world reaches all corners of the country, pushing it towards a digital future that leaves no one behind," he added.