Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture: 38 Percent Of Formal Manpower Becomes A Sandwich Generation

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenko PMK)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Community Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, revealed that as many as 38 percent of the workforce in the formal sector is part of the sandwich generation.

"This sandwich generation refers to individuals whose parents have never had experience working in the formal sector," Muhadjir said at the 'Dampak Downstream Natural Resources (SDA) event on the development of Human Resources (HR)) in Jakarta as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, December 6.

According to him, the consequence of this condition is the burden that must be borne by the generation from two directions, namely from above and below, as likened to a sandwich.

"They are trapped in a situation where they have to take care of their parents and also face responsibility for their own children or families," he said.

Muhadjir said that if there was a Termination of Work Relations (PHK) against this generation, it would have the potential to cause mass poverty.

This condition, he said, would be exacerbated if they did not have good enough skills, because it could result in a significant economic downturn when they lost their jobs.

According to Muhadjir, the phenomenon of generation is one of the causes of fluctuations in the poverty rate that continues to change. He considered that this problem was a challenge in the development of Human Resources (HR) in Indonesia.

Muhadjir emphasized the importance of paying attention, developing skills, and providing training to generations of people who are able to compete in the labor market, reducing the risk of excessive poverty, and supporting strengthening the country's economy.

"Attention to labor conditions in Indonesia and taking concrete steps can strengthen economic skills and stability for generations in an effort to overcome the fluctuations in poverty," he said.