Jakarta. During President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decade in office, Indonesia's digital talent pool has expanded significantly, positioning the country to meet its growing demand for skilled professionals in technology-driven industries, though it still falls short of the national target.

The Head of the Human Resources Development Agency of the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Hary Budiarto, said that during President Jokowi's administration, digital talent has steadily increased over time. 

"Moving forward, it can get even better by improving quality through certification and empowerment," Hary said at a press conference recently.

Digital talent refers to individuals who possess skills related to technologies such as data analytics, software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and digital marketing. They typically work as web programmers, cybersecurity officers, full-stack web developers, and mobile app developers, among other roles.

He explained that the development of digital talent reached significant numbers starting in 2018. Initially, the Ministry trained 10,000 digital talents with competency standards to compete in the industry.

This number has continued to grow each year, reaching 250,000 digital talents by 2022. They have been trained in various competencies regarding digitalization and global-standard technology.

From 2018 to 2024, the Ministry recorded that more than 500,000 Indonesians have been trained to become digital talents. This figure does not include digital talents produced by formal educational institutions. When accumulated, the total could reach millions.

By 2023, Indonesia had approximately 6 million digital talents, still falling short of the 10.5 million needed to become an advanced country by 2045. The ministry aims to train 400,000 digital talents each year.

He hopes that under the administration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto, there will be an enhancement of programs to nurture digital talent. 

"I hope the next government will maintain the momentum of digitalization programs, as the strategies for nurturing digital talent have been mastered during Jokowi's presidency," he concluded.