Which university degrees will survive AI job disruption? - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

Comments by a senior Indonesian official about students pursuing “irrelevant” university degrees has sparked a debate about what sort of careers will survive in a fast-changing job market. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Indonesia is looking at ways to better equip universities and vocational schools for the future job market, and a relatively low level of graduates with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees has the government concerned. It’s a priority across Asia, with governments trying different methods to increase the number of STEM students, with some like China and Malaysia having more success than others. But with AI-related job losses hitting the global tech sector particularly hard, should we be rethinking the types of careers that will withstand the artificial intelligence shock? Host Mariko Oi is joined by Astudestra Ajengrastri from the BBC World Service in Jakarta and Bill Birtles from the Asia Specific podcast team. This episode was recorded May 25th, 2026. 00:00 Introduction 01:36 Details of Indonesia gov't comments on university degrees 03:07 Backlash in Indonesia 03:49 Broader efforts in Asia to push students towards STEM subjects 05:49 The standout star of South East Asia for STEM 06:33 Efforts by Japan's gov't to increase STEM graduate numbers 08:11 Increasing women in STEM 09:40 What happens to female STEM graduates in Indonesia? 10:45 How China pushes students towards STEM 13:54 The job threat posed by AI 15:14 What are the jobs that will withstand AI's disruption? Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4c3njIxB0KHuO8SS2mBMtUc Instagram: @bbcworldservice Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Mariko Oi Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli, Fahmi Jamal Editor: Bill Birtles ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #University #Study #Indonesia #AI #student