Yogyakarta, June 15th 2026 – Indonesia continues to face a higher level of graduate unemployment compared to Vietnam. Despite significant investments in higher education, many university graduates in Indonesia encounter challenges in securing employment that matches their qualifications and skills. This raises important questions on the relationship of higher education systems and labor market outcomes. To what extent do differences in educational ecosystems, industry engagement, skills development, and workforce policies contribute to this gap?
The Master in Higher Education Management (MMPT) research team at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM), to address these questions, collaborating with Professor Nguyen Phuong from Vietnam National University (VNU) in a joint research project entitled “Education & Employment Nexus: A Comparative Study of the Higher Education Ecosystem in Indonesia and Vietnam.” The study aims to examine how higher education institutions in both countries prepare graduates for employment and how educational policies, university-industry linkages, and ecosystem factors influence graduate employability. The strengthening of the UGM and VNU longstanding partnership, and exploring opportunities for broader collaboration with other departments and faculties, the MMPT delegation’s visit served as an important opportunity to collect data and engage with key stakeholders for the joint research project.
The team, led by the Chief of the MMPT Program, Prof. Ir. Paulus Insap Santosa, M.Sc., Ph.D., IPU., and accompanied by Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto, conducted discussions and data-gathering activities at VNU to gain deeper insights into the country’s higher education ecosystem, graduate employment pathways, and workforce development strategies. Beyond VNU, the MMPT delegation also conducted institutional visits to Van Lang University and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Ho Chi Minh City. These visits provided valuable opportunities to exchange perspectives on higher education development, graduate employability, and potential avenues for future academic and research collaboration between Indonesia and Vietnam.
The research team, with this joint initiative, hopes to generate evidence-based recommendations that contribute to the strengthening of the connection of higher education and employment, while supporting the development of more responsive and inclusive higher education ecosystems in both countries. The research is supported by a 2026 research grant from the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM). This comparative research initiative and institutional visit align with the commitment of SPs UGM to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is created with the continuous enhancement of quality education (SDG 4), the promotion of inclusive economic growth and decent work for graduates (SDG 8), and the strengthening of global partnerships for the goals through international research collaboration (SDG 17).
Author: Berlian Belasuni