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View all search resultsInternship program graduates struggle to land jobs
One year into a government internship program placing fresh graduates in subsidized roles across the country, many of its participants are struggling to secure permanent jobs, citing intense competition in a tightening market.
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Job seekers wait in line during the opening of the 2026 Bogor Job Fair at Plaza Jambu Dua in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on June 8, 2026. The job fair, organized by the Bogor Manpower Office and attended by 30 local and national companies offering 3,212 job vacancies, aims to connect job seekers directly with employers and help reduce unemployment in West Java. (Antara/Arif Firmansyah)
T
he government has wrapped up the first year of its internship program for fresh graduates and plans to expand the initiative this year, but many of the program’s participants are struggling to find jobs, citing intense competition in a tightening market.
Law graduate Randy Verda completed the program in May, having spent six months as a legal analyst intern at a government institution. As he was not offered a permanent position at the end of the work placement, he is now actively looking for full-time work.
“Some of the [job] requirements just don’t make sense,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday, adding that “for example, many companies require us, fresh graduates, to have a minimum of two to three years of experience. But we’ve just graduated with six months of internship experience.”
Randy expressed hope that the internship could help him pursue a career in civil service administration and management, even though completing the program does not guarantee a full-time position at the government institution.
Read also: Fresh grads pin hopes on new internship program amid poor job prospects
Interns at government offices will still have to go through the civil servant enrollment test (CPNS) or apply as government contract employees (PPPK), he said, which will put them in competition with millions of applicants annually.
Nur Pangesti, who served as a public relations intern at the same government institution, is struggling to find a job matching her skills, interests and experience.
