Indonesia: New Guidelines on Government Assistance for the University Graduate Internship Program
The Ministry of Manpower (“MoM”) has issued a new regulation to stimulate the entry of university graduates into the workforce through government-assisted internship programs whilst working with local private companies. The regulation, namely MoM Regulation No. 8 of 2025 on Guideline on the Provision of Government Assistance for the University Graduate Internship Program as lastly amended by MoM Regulation No. 11 of 2025 (“MoM Reg. 8/2025”) addresses the implementation of how the Government will operate the program and manage its financing.
The internship program will be made available via the MoM’s SIAPkerja platform, which is a web-based platform accessible via the internet or via phone application, wherein prospective participants must register for the internship platform upon being validated and registered (Article 4 of MoM Reg. 8/2025). To qualify as a participant, the individual must be an Indonesian Citizen having graduated from a diploma or undergraduate program and applied to the program no more than 1 (one) year since their graduation. Additionally, there are certain requirements where the Government will limit only certain universities’ graduates, where the university must be registered with the MoM and recognized by the MoM to have their graduates eligible (Article 3 of MoM Reg. 28/2025). Upon entering an internship program and successfully completing it, participants will be given an internship certificate, or a participation certificate if they were unable to complete the program (Article 9 of MoM Reg. 28/2025).
The companies who offer and manage the internship programs known as Organisers will be required to also register themselves on SIAPkerja and submit their proposals for their programs via the platform, where it will be reviewed for approval by the Director General of the MoM (Article 5 of MoM Reg. 8/2025). Organisers will also be required to conduct recruitment procedures for prospective participants who have successfully applied and validated themselves, whilst also entering into an internship agreement with the participants (Articles 6 and 7 of MoM Reg. 28/2025).
Organisers will be required to ensure that participants work in-line with the working hours and working days per their internship agreement, while also registering the participants in the Manpower Social Security Program (Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Ketenagakerjaan or “BPJSTK”) for occupational accident insurance and death insurance. The responsibility to pay for the insurance premiums will not lie with the Organiser but the MoM and their Directorate of Vocational Training and Internship Development (Article 8 of MoM Reg. 28/2025).
The Indonesian Government will also provide assistance in the form of pocket money for participants, where such assistance is provided every month up to a maximum of 6 (six) months during the program (Article 11 of MoM Reg. 28/2025). While the regulation is silent as to whether the Organisers will also be required to provide financial compensation, it should be noted that employers are required to ensure that pocket money is one of the terms mentioned and regulated in the internship agreement as well as give interns such pocket money (Articles 10, 13, and 16 of MoM Regulation No. 6 of 2020 on Implementation of Domestic Internships).
Key Takeaways
For recent graduates, this program offers government stipends and valuable work experience, contingent on timely registration via the SIAPkerja platform. For companies, participation requires compliance with a dual regulatory framework: securing program approval, executing formal internship agreements, providing intern pocket money, and enrolling participants in mandatory BPJSTK social security. Success for all parties therein hinges on understanding these integrated obligations under the new regulation.
