Microsoft recruits vocational graduates for Indonesian data centres
Around 200 Indonesian technical staff manage six to eight facilities, according to the company's local customer success director.
Microsoft is hiring and training vocational secondary school graduates to operate its data centres in Indonesia, where its technical teams are entirely Indonesian, according to Irving Hutagalung, Director of Customer Success at Microsoft Indonesia.
Speaking at CNBC Indonesia Coffee Morning in Jakarta on 3 November 2026, Hutagalung said around 200 local technical employees manage six to eight Microsoft data centres in the country. He linked the all-Indonesian technical workforce to the company's commitment to the government.
Hutagalung said a shortage of candidates with suitable technical skills had led Microsoft to broaden recruitment beyond universities. The company hires vocational school graduates and trains them for data centre operator roles.
He also said the Indonesian facilities were among Microsoft's first ninth-generation data centre deployments worldwide. Microsoft teams from Japan and China have visited Indonesia to learn from the local employees operating them.
Hutagalung said the training helps meet Microsoft's staffing needs while developing domestic digital talent. He urged other technology companies to recruit and train local workers rather than turn immediately to overseas specialists when suitable candidates are difficult to find.
