As Indonesia continues to expand its aviation infrastructure—building new airports, opening air corridors, and digitizing airside operations—there is an undeniable sense of national momentum. These investments signal not only economic ambition but a broader vision of connectivity and regional leadership. And yet, despite all this progress, a critical piece remains missing: a systematic understanding of the human capital running the country’s airports.
This is not merely an issue of workforce quantity or even quality, but one of readiness, adaptability, and strategic alignment. We need to ask: are we investing enough in the skills, certifications, and future competencies required to operate modern aviation systems? Are these investments reaching the right people, in the right regions, at the right time?
To answer these questions—and to ensure sustainable growth—Indonesia needs to adopt a Human Capital Index (HCI) tailored specifically to the aviation sector. Such an index would serve not just as a measurement tool, but as a strategic compass for national policy, budget planning, and institutional coordination.
Beyond Infrastructure: A Call to Measure Human Capability
The global aviation sector is one of the most regulated and technologically complex industries in the world. From biometric boarding gates to air traffic management systems, modern airports rely on a highly skilled, multi-disciplinary workforce that must continually adapt to changing technologies, international safety standards, and global service expectations.
Yet in Indonesia, conversations about aviation excellence remain disproportionately focused on infrastructure. While terminals expand and aircraft fleets grow, we still lack comprehensive surveillance of the human systems needed to operate, maintain, and innovate within these environments.
The World Bank’s Human Capital Index, while a useful national benchmark, does not account for sector-specific skills such as air traffic control proficiency, emergency response capacity, or digital aviation system literacy. Without such specificity, decision-makers risk relying on fragmented information, making it difficult to direct investments where they are most urgently needed.
A Tailored Index: What It Would Measure, and Why It Matters
A Human Capital Index for Indonesia’s aviation sector—particularly one designed for surveillance and policy alignment—would need to move beyond general educational attainment or health statistics. Instead, it should capture sector-relevant dimensions that reflect both present and future readiness.
These dimensions could include:
- Health and Operational Fitness: Aviation jobs are high-stakes and mentally demanding. Monitoring employee wellness, fatigue, and stress levels is essential for safety and performance.
- Certification and Educational Alignment: From ICAO and IATA standards to national vocational certifications, a sound aviation system depends on formally recognized qualifications and structured career pathways.
- Technical Proficiency: Staff must be equipped to operate and maintain advanced systems—from security scanners and radar arrays to biometric verification tools.
- Digital Literacy and Technology Adaptability: As airports digitize operations, digital fluency becomes essential. This includes the ability to interpret data, manage smart systems, and troubleshoot disruptions.
- Soft Skills and Customer Service: Global passengers demand professionalism, cultural sensitivity, and problem-solving under pressure. These are not “nice to have”—they are competitive essentials.
- Geographic Equity and Resource Distribution: Talent concentration in major urban airports (e.g., Soekarno-Hatta, Ngurah Rai) often leaves regional airports under-resourced. A functional HCI must assess and address this imbalance.
This framework is inspired by internationally accepted models such as Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative and Dubai’s AI Readiness Index, which embed lifelong learning and digital capacity into national strategies. While Indonesia’s context differs, the principle remains: what gets measured, gets managed.
The Challenge: Fragmented Data, Siloed Institutions
Indonesia’s aviation ecosystem is governed by multiple stakeholders: the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Human Resources Development Agency (HRDA) for Transportation, airport operators (e.g., Angkasa Pura Indonesia), training institutions, and vocational schools. However, these actors currently operate without a shared workforce development platform or integrated data ecosystem.
Without a centralized repository of workforce qualifications, training hours, or regional needs assessments, workforce planning tends to be reactive rather than strategic. Programs are launched without clearly defined goals or benchmarks. Often, training is duplicated in some areas while completely absent in others.
Moreover, local airports in the eastern and outer islands continue to operate in challenging environments with limited access to certified personnel, despite significant investments in modern systems. This reveals not only an infrastructure gap—but a serious human capital gap.
Building the Index: Practical Steps for Implementation
To create a Surveillance Human Capital Index for the aviation sector, Indonesia could take the following approach:
- Start with a Pilot Phase
Select 8–10 airports representing a mix of size, region, and complexity. Gather baseline data across the six core dimensions using structured surveys, existing HR databases, and operational performance indicators.
- Build a Composite Index
Following the World Bank and UNECE guidelines on human capital accounting, normalize and weight each indicator according to policy priorities—such as safety, digital transformation, or regional equity.
- Create a Centralized Digital Platform
This platform, coordinated by the DGCA, HRDA and supported by the Related Ministerial, would allow real-time tracking of human capital readiness at the national and regional level.
- Align Policy and Budget
Once disparities and strengths are mapped, tailor training investments accordingly. Airports with low digital readiness could receive targeted technology upskilling programs; those with low certification rates could benefit from government-funded credentialing schemes.
The Strategic Case: Why It’s Worth the Investment
A sectoral Human Capital Index is not merely a technocratic tool—it is a mechanism for public accountability and strategic transformation.
- For Policymakers: The index becomes a planning tool, allowing for data-informed policy in recruitment, budgeting, and vocational education alignment.
- For Airport Operators: It provides visibility into internal skill gaps, enabling better internal training programs and external hiring strategies.
- For Training Institutions: It creates a clear signal of what the industry needs—helping curriculum developers focus on relevant certifications and competencies.
- For the Public: It builds transparency. Citizens and passengers alike can be assured that modern airports are supported by professional, well-prepared staff.
A Foundation for Future Policy
Indonesia’s 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) offers a timely window to institutionalize this index. By embedding human capital surveillance into national aviation policy, the government can ensure consistency beyond the political cycle and maintain long-term investment in its people.
Moreover, such a system could become a model for other sectors—rail, maritime, and even logistics—each of which faces similar challenges in aligning workforce readiness with technological and infrastructural expansion.
Conclusion: Building Human Capital as Strategic Infrastructure
It is time to redefine what we consider “infrastructure.” Bricks and runways matter, but so do skills, certifications, health, and adaptability. In the end, it is people—not concrete or code—who ensure safety, efficiency, and innovation in the skies.
A Surveillance Human Capital Index for aviation will allow Indonesia to see clearly where it stands, what it must improve, and how it can grow inclusively across its vast geography. It is not merely a measurement—it is a declaration that the country is committed not just to building airports, but to building the people who run them.
In the age of smart airports and global connectivity, investing in human capital is no longer optional—it is operationally essential.
