Experienced Yet Jobseekers Still Excluded Due to Age

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — A number of jobseekers at the Jakarta Job Fair held at Gelanggang Remaja in North Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok complained about an age limit in job application requirements.

One jobseeker, Lili, 35, regarded the age cap as a barrier to applying for jobs. “Mostly I keep hitting the age limit,” she told Kompas.com at Gelanggang Remaja in North Jakarta on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

However, she noted that most vacancies on offer were more oriented toward marketing. “As for my field, the experience I’m looking for is a bit hard to come by. Here they mostly seem to be seeking marketing and sales,” she said.

Another jobseeker, Ivan, 37, who was attending the fair for the first time, echoed the frustration. “Age, for sure. It’s all about age,” he told Kompas.com on Wednesday.

Ivan hopes companies can be more flexible in setting age requirements for jobseekers. “What matters is that the requirements aren’t too onerous, especially regarding age,” he added.

Kompas.com visited seven company stalls offering vacancies to ask about application requirements. Of the seven, only one company was willing to be asked.

Hebe Beauty Indonesia, one of the firms present at the Jakarta Job Fair, acknowledged that some positions have age requirements. Julie, one of the firm’s recruiters, explained that the age limit is applied only to the positions of management trainee, beauty advisor, and cosmetics’ SPG (sales promotion girl).