How can Indonesia take advantage of its ‘demographic dividend’ to drive local development? What skills are needed to create and grow new markets? How can businesses identify and nurture local talent?

Indonesia has a large population of young people. The majority of these youth are concentrated in major cities in Java and Sumatra, which offer better quality education and greater job opportunities compared to other regions. Nevertheless, focusing only on these cities may not be sufficient, particularly as there is increasing potential for growth across a range of sectors in small and medium-sized cities outside Java. To take advantage of this potential, businesses need to think about diversifying their geographic footprint. At the same time, government needs to think about how to support businesses to succeed in new areas. This includes strategies for developing and tapping into local talent, promoting innovation, and providing opportunities to grow local markets.

This sub-theme aims to explore:

• How businesses and local governments can work together to develop local markets; 
• Strategies for identifying and nurturing local talent as a driver for economic activity;
• Making local businesses more globally competitive; 
• The skills and competencies needed to support local economic development;
• How to promote agglomeration among new entrepreneurs, micro and small enterprises through cluster development and cooperatives.