Thammasat University students interested in political science, history, economics, ASEAN studies, culture, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 15 and 16 August Zoom webinar conference on Millennial Disruptions: Understanding the Role of Indonesian Millennials in Shaping a Rapidly Changing World.

The event is coorganized by the Indonesia Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, and the Research Center for Society and Culture, Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia.

The TU Library collection includes several books about different aspects of Indonesian demographics.

As the event description posted online explains:

About the Webinar Conference

This Webinar Conference aims to provide a platform for interactive and intellectually stimulating dialogue and debate on the multi-faceted challenges impacting the millennial generation, as well as their potential to powerfully influence the future trajectory of Indonesia’s overall social, cultural, economic, and political development. Globally, the so-called millennial generation refers to those who were born between 1981 and 1996, also known as Generation Y. This generation, currently in their mid-20s to early-40s, represents the population cohort that is moving into the prime of their careers and lives and perhaps, is the most vocal and vociferous generation in public discourse. In Indonesia, this generation is slated to take their positions as leaders in various important spheres of society – from political, economic and business spheres to the education, arts, and culture sectors. Hence, understanding their concerns, roles in society and ideas on how to realize their aspirations will shed light on inter-generational leadership transition in Indonesia.

Students may register for the first day of the webinar (Monday, 15 August 2022) at this link.

And to register for the second day of the webinar on Tuesday, 16 August 2022, please go to this link.

The conference program offers further information:

Globally, the so-called millennial generation refers to those who were born between 1981 and 1996, also known as Generation Y. This generation, currently in their mid-20s to early40s, represents the population cohort that is moving into the prime of their careers and lives. In Indonesia, this generation is slated to take their positions as leaders in various important spheres of society – from political, economic and business spheres to the education, arts, and culture sectors. This millennial generation is also living in an era of unprecedented technological change and disruptions to cultural and societal norms, thanks to the advent of the digital age and the impact of globalization. This generation arguably faces different and unique challenges than their previous generations, Gen X and baby boomers. For instance, living in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution and experiencing the acceleration of digitization amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the millennial generation has acutely experienced disruptions to their family and working lives and ways of doing business. Politically, growing up in the Reformasi era, some would argue that this generation has taken democracy for granted and contributed to its political regression in one way or another. How they think about politics and governance will have a pivotal impact on Indonesia’s political development. In the economics and business sectors, the millennial generation has been forging alternative paths and innovations in the digital economy and has catalysed the start-up business scene. How they develop and grow these areas will determine the outlook for Indonesia’s economic dynamism. Moreover, the impact of globalization and increasingly cosmopolitan lifestyles have also shaped the worldviews and sense of identity among millennials, affecting their interpretation of religion, art and heritage and their engagement with global issues and challenges, such as climate change and gender equality.

This conference aims to provide a platform for intellectual dialogue and debate on the multi-faceted issues impacting the millennial generation, as well as their potential to powerfully influence the future trajectory for Indonesia’s overall development. Each session will feature three to four papers whose authors’ will speak for 15-20 minutes, followed by a live moderated discussion. The panelists will include academics, practitioners, and policymakers.

For further details about the conference or with any questions, please write to:

aninda_dewayanti@iseas.edu.sg

or

lilismulyani@gmail.com

Among subjects discussed will be how Indonesia’s millennials are changing the economy and business in Indonesia:

Millennial business leaders are commonly associated with Indonesia’s buzzing start-up scene. In the last few years, before Covid-19 struck, we saw the rapid development of online businesses such as Gojek, Bukalapak, Tokopedia, eFishery, etc, which has been further turbocharged by the pandemic. This panel explores the impact millennials have had in shaping Indonesia’s business and economic landscape, especially in the digital economy and related areas.

There will also be a panel on millennials in culture and heritage, among other topics:

Indonesia’s millennials have been raised in a globalized culture, which has led to a greater propensity to identify more closely with Indonesia’s traditional heritage and culture. This panel explores the perception of Indonesia’s youth on such issues and their efforts in preserving them.

A 2019 report by Deloitte, a provider of audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services, offered information about Millennials in Industry 4.0: A Gift or a Threat to Indonesian Human Resources?:

A wave of young people aged 18-37 years have begun to occupy important positions in the workforce. Some of their leaders from older generations have begun to complain about the attitudes of the millennial generation when they have to work with them. They are somewhat negatively considered as not being the same as the previous generations. How to bridge this? Deloitte Indonesia Perspectives | First Edition, September 2019 25 The 2015 World Economic Forum predicted that Indonesia will rank as the 8th largest world economy by 2020. This statement has been supported by Standard Chartered Bank, which has forecasted the same thing, while Goldman Sachs predicts that Indonesia will become the world’s number seven economic power after China, the United States, India, Brazil, Mexico and Russia. These predictions have not been made casually. One of the drivers of economic strength is the rise of e-commerce, which is believed to be a source of future economic power. In 2015 47.9% of the Indonesian population, or as many as 93.4 million people, used the internet. This number is predicted to increase to 140 million users by 2020. Meanwhile, based on 2017 data from katadata.co.id, it is estimated that mobile phone usage represents 142% of the total population of 262 million people, assuming that one person uses two to three cell phone cards. Inevitably, this predicted economic strength is increasingly driven by young people, ranging from internet usage to businesses that are starting to employ and even be led by young people. The majority of internet users are millennials who were born when internet technology had started to become known. A survey conducted by the IDN Research Institute in collaboration with the Alvara Research Center in 12 major cities in Indonesia, entitled the Indonesia Millennium Report 2019, shows that some 94.4% of the millennial generation of Indonesia are connected to the internet; in fact, most of them have become addicted to and even dependent on the internet. How about jobs? The business sector has begun to be dominated by young people from the millennial generation. How do their characteristics affect the today’s workforce? How do companies need to see and prepare them to build the future of the Indonesian economy?

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)