Petroenergy.id, Jakarta – GE Indonesia continues to support Indonesian women’s advancement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by encouraging discussion on STEM careers and recognizing five inspiring local female leaders. GE Indonesia will continue this campaign through collaborations with the government, private, and public sectors in Indonesia.

Technology and engineering sectors suffer from a lower participation rate of women, holding back the pace at which these sectors can advance and their overall contribution to the economy.  According to the OECD, a strong negative correlation exists between a country’s gender gap and its living standards. The OECD estimates that increasing female labor participation could boost OECD GDP by 5-12% over the next fifteen years.  As new technologies require new abilities, the risk of the skills gap widening will only become greater. To prevent this from happening to ensure we’re building the right pipeline of skills, we need to close the gender gap and leverage our entire talent pool. Addressing the gender gap will create a more diverse workforce, and research shows that diverse teams are better at problem solving and thinking more creatively.  Indonesia is ranked 85th out of 149 countries in the 2018 World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index and has great potential to increase its GDP to US$135 billion by 2025 if more women take on roles in productive sectors.

According to a 2019 McKinsey report ‘The future of women at work: Transitions in the age of automation,’ 40 – 160 million women worldwide might need to transition between occupations by 2030, into higher-skilled roles. This is because more women are in roles that are prone to automation. Across ASEAN, women are more likely to lose their existing jobs and landing even fewer higher-skilled ones. The International Labor Organization also reported that 56% of employees in ASEAN’s key manufacturing hubs of Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, may lose their jobs due to automation.

While women make up almost half the world’s population, only an estimated less than 20 percent of researchers in science, technology and innovation are female. More needs to be done to attract and retain women in STEM. With more women in technology, engineering and manufacturing, GE expects the skills gap to narrow, and increase productivity and the potential of digital and other new technologies to transform industries.

In support of the Indonesian government’s human capital development, GE Indonesia organized “GE Indonesia Recognition for Inspiring Women in STEM” event.  At this forum, GE is recognized five outstanding local females in STEM area and discussed on how the public and private sector could work together in encouraging more women to participate in STEM. The event is attended by more than 300 participants, including executives from both the public and private sectors, as well as students.

“To reap benefits of the new wave of digital innovation, it is essential to invest in skills building, and create the right talent pipeline for the future, among others through improving STEM education,” said Handry Satriago, CEO, GE Indonesia. “It is encouraging that the Indonesian government’s NAWACITA program prioritizes a renewed focus on science education and applied knowledge, providing greater support to state universities and stronger financing for research and technology development. These steps would help Indonesia develop the pipeline of talent needed to support the deployment of new technologies and narrowing the gender gap.”  

“GE in Indonesia has been actively empowering women in STEM through the hiring of more females in technical roles, and through its GE Women’s Network. Over the past two years, we’ve reached out to over 2000 women across the public and private sectors on building gender balance at the workplace,” Satriago added. 

Through this event, GE Indonesia would like to encourage Indonesian females, including students, to take STEM as their field of study and career choice. GE plans to collaborate with the public and private sectors in continuing engagements with students and through campaigns and events. [str]