The Minister of Manpower Appreciates Jababeka for Connecting Job Seekers with Companies through Career Connect 2025
Cikarang, July 1, 2025 – JABABEKA in collaboration with President University (PresUniv) and the Jababeka HR Forum successfully held a seminar and networking event titled Career Connect 2025: Motivation & Networking at the President University Convention Center hall, Cikarang, Jababeka City, on Tuesday (1/7/2025).
The event was attended by around 2,000 participants, including job seekers, students, and industry players, and received direct support from the Ministry of Manpower.
The Career Connect 2025 event is a series of events. It starts with a labor dialogue with the Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Yassierli, a motivational seminar featuring entrepreneur and motivator Andrie Wongso, networking sessions with exhibitors from companies in the Jababeka Industrial Area, as well as conducting interviews for scheduled job seekers.
Setyono Djuandi (SD) Darmono the Chairman of Jababeka and founder of President University, the initiator of the event, explained that Jababeka took the initiative to create this event as an empathy towards the rising unemployment due to many layoffs (PHK) and job seekers struggling to find work. According to him, this situation can occur due to the impact of AI entering some jobs and – externally, due to geopolitical tensions that decrease the demand for services and goods. Thus, the shadow of unemployment also looms over current employees if they do not upgrade themselves.
“(This event) is just the first step. In the future, we will hold more events like this. So that we (fellow tenants) can get to know each other, and we will understand where the problems are and also find solutions,” explained SD Darmono.
Therefore, SD Darmono emphasizes that tenants should conduct internal training (training/upskilling) that may be provided by their respective HR departments. In addition, for those who are still looking for work, they should also follow certain training programs so that they can acquire skills. Ultimately, the people who are hired by companies are those who possess the skills needed by the industry.
“I am confident that factories in Jababeka will still need a lot of workforce, whether in sales, promotion, construction, and others. Furthermore, if later on, ‘why is it still hard to get a job?’ The keyword is training. Why? Training for job seekers will equip them with abilities, and companies will want to hire them; training (upskilling) for those who are already employed helps keep their jobs relevant and not easily replaced by AI,” explained SD Darmono.
But Jababeka realizes that it lacks expertise in training and needs other parties to overcome this challenge. Starting from the Ministry of Manpower, the Bekasi Regency Government, President University, and the Jababeka HR Forum.
“Connecting workers with business players is a good intention, but the process is not easy. Therefore, we are trying to create a networking event within the Jababeka Industrial Estate first,” concluded SD Darmono.
In addition, this event featured a motivational session conducted by Andrie Wongso. The participants, consisting of job seekers and final-year students from President University, were present. In his presentation, Andrie Wongso emphasized that success is not something that can be achieved by chance or luck, but rather it requires hard work, effort, and it is not instant.
Therefore, to attain success, one must strive for it, not wait for it. Thus, it is important to prepare and acquire the skills needed by the industry, for both job seekers and those who have already become employees.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Yassierli, expressed appreciation to Jababeka for initiating this event to absorb the workforce.
He explained that the challenges of employment in the future are not easy. In managing human resources (HR), he urged that companies should look beyond just best practices. However, the management of HR within companies can grow to be more productive, so it must be combined with a blend of best practices and local wisdom.
And I hope that Jababeka can become the exemplary model that we want to build, which is a relationship with the workforce that is not merely transactional, but has a common goal of mutual prosperity. Thus, it forms an industrial ecosystem and that ecosystem grows larger. That is the true solution to labor absorption, “explained Yassierli.
Yassierli also emphasized the importance of synergy from various parties, including addressing various challenges in the field of employment, including in Bekasi Regency. This includes the local government of Bekasi Regency, the private sector, higher education institutions, and the wider community.”Thank you to Jababeka (for organizing this event), I look forward to the next breakthroughs,” concluded Yassierli.
The event was attended by guests from various backgrounds. Present were Handa S. Abidin, the Rector of President University, along with faculty members, Nur Hidayah Setyowati, the Acting Head of the Bekasi Regency Employment Office, and Erman Soeparno, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration from 2005 to 2009.