Executive recruitment company Monroe Consulting Group Indonesia has welcomed the government’s “response to the E-commerce revolution” following the successful conclusion of the Indonesia E-commerce and Summit and Expo 2016 in Jakarta recently.
Tina Nugraheni, the head of executive recruitment company Monroe Consulting Group Indonesia’s Technology Division, said Indonesian businesses and the government had been slow to embrace E-commerce but positive signs had emerged from the summit that this was changing.
“The future is here!,” Tina said. “The government has clearly stated its intentions to support the growth of digital business by launching an E-commerce roadmap that synchronizes strategic initiatives across eight ministries to ensure meaningful growth.”
She said President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s acknowledgement that Indonesia was being “left behind” by other countries in the rapidly evolving was a positive first step. “It’s true. The growth in Indonesia is crazy, but this is true of the industry in Southeast Asia and around the world – most governments are having trouble adapting,” Tina said.
She said the Indonesian government had outlined a strategy to hit its target of developing E-commerce into a $130 billion industry by 2020, with a focus on seven key areas, namely funding, taxation, consumer protection, cyber security, communication infrastructure, logistics, and education and human resources, including recruitment.
“Monroe is heavily involved in recruitment in the technology sector in emerging markets throughout Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, which is facing an acute talent shortage,” Tina said. “By 2020 we predict that Indonesia we will only be able to source about 50 percent of the qualified professionals the E-commerce industry needs.”
She reiterated that she was encouraged by Jokowi’s “desire to do something about it and implement steps to ensure that Indonesian entrepreneurs can compete in not only Southeast Asia, but also globally.”
Tina said Monroe prided itself on its ability to maintain its leadership in recruitment in the technology sector in Indonesia by keeping up to date with the latest industry news and trends, adding that six Monroe Technology recruitment consultants attended the summit.
She has recently featured in articles about Indonesia targeting US$130 billion in E-commerce transactions by 2020 and traditional consumer goods companies implementing new E-commerce strategies.
“The potential of E-commerce in Indonesia is huge and many companies have been slow to embrace this,” Tina said. “Jokowi’s recognition of this is most welcome.”