Jakarta. The Indonesian government is encouraging its youth to embrace entrepreneurship as the country’s demographic dividend —a situation in which the productive-age citizens dominate the total population and thus result in a potential for economic growth— is forecast to reach its peak in 2030.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said on Wednesday that rapid population growth calls for robust job creation as more people enter the working-age population. According to him, youth entrepreneurship can become an engine for job creation.

“We need more young entrepreneurs to anticipate the peak of the demographic dividend in 2030. As our population growth soars, young entrepreneurs can play a pivotal role in creating new jobs,” Sandiaga said when kicking off the Next Gen Fest 2022 in Jakarta.

“Millennials and gen Zs have a crucial role amid this demographic dividend. Hopefully, these two generations can contribute to Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy,” Sandiaga said.

The minister added that young entrepreneurs should also make use of digital technology to create new opportunities in the creative economy. 

Indonesia is home to 270.2 million people as of Sep. 2020, according to the 2020 Population Census. 

About 27.94 percent of the population were Gen Zs or people born from 1997-2012. As many as 25.87 percent were millennials which comprise anyone born between 1981 and 1996. About 70.72 percent of Indonesia’s citizens fall under the productive-age category (15-64 years old), meaning that the Southeast Asian country is currently undergoing a demographic dividend.

The Next Gen Fest 2022: "Future Ready: Embracing Tomorrow" is a two-day youth event hosted by BeritaSatu Media Holdings. The conference aims to inspire young people to become future-ready by becoming creative and adaptable.