Finding Work Increasingly Impossible as Single Job Vacancy Attracts Thousands of Applicants
The Indonesian labour market shows no signs of improvement, with a significant gap between available job vacancies and job seekers. This makes finding employment increasingly difficult and unemployment more severe.
According to data from job platform JobStreet by SEEK in March, each job vacancy typically receives 500 to 600 applications. Competition is even fiercer for general roles at large companies, with some cases seeing thousands of applicants.
‘Imagine if an HR professional isn’t just opening one position. Many companies post dozens of vacancies each year, meaning they must process thousands of CVs,’ said Acting Sales Director for Indonesia Ethika Santi.
The labour market downturn is not unique to Indonesia but a global phenomenon. In the UK, job vacancies have fallen to their lowest level in five years, with the hospitality and retail sectors experiencing the sharpest declines.
According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), cited by BBC, unemployment rose slightly to 5% in the three months to March, up from 4.9%.
ONS economic statistics director Liz McKeown stated the figures ‘show a still-weak labour market, with job vacancies at a five-year low and unemployment higher than last year’.
Amid fierce job competition, some job seekers are resorting to unconventional methods. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are now being used to find employment.
A TikTok user admitted using Hinge to find work amid tough market conditions. Instead of uploading their best photos, they posted a screenshot of their CV on their profile.
In the ‘life goals’ section, they wrote they wanted to work in the creative industry. The video garnered nearly 250,000 views since its December upload, but in a recent update, they revealed their account was deleted for violating platform policies.
They are not alone. Other users have claimed to secure six-figure US dollar salaries through Bumble matches, while some openly admit swiping on profiles of people in their field and directly asking if their companies have vacancies.