Jakarta still seen as land opportunity

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

This is the second in a series of articles on the city administration's treatment of unskilled migrants who come to Jakarta in search of work.

Gazing up at the buildings along Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, Warno, 25, allowed himself to dream that someday he would work in one of those imposing structures.

"I came here to find a job and I hope that I do find work," said Warno, who graduated from the School of letters at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, in 2003.

Since arriving in Jakarta three days after Idul Fitri, Warno has lived with his older brother, who is a security guard at a factory in East Jakarta.

Warno, who is looking for work as a tour guide, freelance teacher or salesman, is counting on his English language skills to give him an advantage over the competition for jobs.

"I believe if you have the determination and do not give up, you can succeed here in Jakarta. I have heard too many success stories to not believe that. Besides, there is now work back home," said Warno, who tried in vain to find a decent job in Semarang after graduating from college.

Warno said he was prepared to work in a little restaurant owned by a friend in Jakarta until he was able to find a job in his field.

"Working in a small restaurant or selling meatballs from a cart in Jakarta, I would make more money than working as an office clerk back in my hometown," he said.

Warno is one of the thousands of migrants who came to Jakarta after Idul Fitri. City officials say some 180,000 people migrated to Jakarta after the Idul Fitri holiday, down from about 190,000 last year.

While not necessarily true that migrants can earn much more money in Jakarta than in their hometowns, many people from outside the capital still harbor the belief that Jakarta is the key to a better life.

A regional autonomy expert at the University of Indonesia, Smita Notosusanto, said many people still believed they could find wealth and a good life in Jakarta.

"They have the misperception that they can have a better life in Jakarta. They hear from people and see on TV shows how easy it is to make money and how good life is in Jakarta," she told the Post.

The fact is, Smita said, millions of Jakarta residents are unemployed, underemployed or working in the informal sector with no benefits.

She said the emergence in the capital of diseases like bird flu, dengue fever and malnutrition indicated the city could not cope with any more residents.

From a population of about 10 million, only around 3.5 million, or 35 percent, are employed in the formal sector.

Meanwhile, Jababeka industrial estate general manager Agus H. Canny said many migrants from outside Greater Jakarta were hired by the 1,115 companies in the industrial estate.

"The 1,115 companies employ about 250,000 workers. I think the majority of workers come from outside Greater Jakarta," he said.

Smita said the continued influx of migrants also showed that many regions were failing to create jobs for residents.

"Education is getting better but graduates are not qualified for the jobs that are available. Regions have to change the curriculums to suit their needs.

"Since regional autonomy, several regions have been successful in terms of development. Other regions must learn from them," she said.