Jakarta sees job-seeking as main driver of post-Eid migration

“Those who come to Jakarta certainly want to find work. The factors of seeking employment are strengthened by the high number of newcomers in the productive age group,” Head of Jakarta Dukcapil Denny Wahyu Haryanto remarked in a podcast monitored here on Friday.

The percentage citing employment reasons is higher than family reasons (32.58 percent), job transfers (15.59 percent), housing (13.04 percent), education (3.49 percent), health (0.29 percent), and security (0.03 percent).

In terms of age, 77.84 percent of newcomers are in the productive age range of 15–64 years. Meanwhile, based on the gender ratio, for every 100 women, there are 97 men.

In terms of education, 78.71 percent of newcomers have a senior high school education or lower. Meanwhile, 58.96 percent of them are estimated to have low incomes.

“They mostly rely on skills in the informal sector,” Haryanto said.

He said the main factors supporting migrants coming to the capital include easy access to public services, such as transportation, health, and education.

“Population administration services, health services, and education services are relatively easy to process. That may be the main factor why Jakarta remains a magnet and attractive destination,” he said.

Furthermore, regarding housing, he said that around 21.05 percent of the newcomers live in dense and slum neighborhoods as well as areas around Jakarta’s borders.

“This data can be used as a basis for programs related to the development of MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), and how to manage informal sectors to become more formal through mentoring,” he said.

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Translator: Lia, Kenzu