Challenge of Agriculture Development in Indonesia: Rural Youth Mobility and Aging Workers in Agriculture Sector

Abstract

The agricultural sector in Indonesia plays a strategic role in both economic development and employment. However, this sector has problems, especially concerning its declining workforce and aging workers. This is largely associated with the low attractiveness of the agricultural sector in absorbing labor. The younger age group prefers to seek non-agricultural employment by migrating to urban areas. This paper aims to analyze the youth mobility, job choice and the implications for agricultural workers. The data for analysis are data from the Indonesian National Labor Force Survey, 2019, by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The result of the descriptive and inferential analysis shows that the probability of youth migrating is higher than for older age groups. On the other hand, the probability of youth finding work in manufacturing and services is greater than in the agriculture sector. This carries implications for an increase in the workforce aged 60 and over, which has escalated from 7.6% in 1971 to 21.2% in 2020. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the agricultural sector so that it is attractive to the younger generation in Indonesia, especially to increase productivity and the use of digital technology for agriculture.