Job hunting evokes soul searching

By Muyanja Ssenyonga

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Glued to his hard seat is a man possibly in his early 20s racing against time to surmount a collection of newspapers -- all but one in Bahasa Indonesia.

From the look of things he has been in that state for quite sometime. Whatever is stealing his attention at the oak desk seems to be as involving as it is unnerving. His interest in each seems to be in a particular section. He's weather-stricken but resolved to "date" the University Library first thing every morning to ensure an eventual paying off of his rummaging exercise. He is doubtless a man on a mission, with a strong vision too.

His stakes in life seem to be towing the swinging of the pendulum clock, for a closer look reveals that he has hit the hard, hazy road to the library by 6 a.m., the reasons for this being twofold: to make an early start from where he left the day before availing him ample time to rummage through many centerpieces, and to pre-empt other colleagues-in-fate from grasping that elusive job before him.

One deciphers a myriad of relentless endeavors to succeed. Certainly, varying gestures took turns at his face; this time radiating brilliance and hope, yet moments later, grief and bitterness lurking in his eyes. Volatility in gesture as well as vision is gradually getting the better of him; and that doesn't bid well for his mental stability.

The young man's interest is in the vacancies section. Almost visible is the mounting pressure on his mind. For father's patience is thread-thin, having endured more than enough of his golden boy's jobless woes over the past four years since graduation. The urge to please his father is the initial impulse, but the momentum is fueled by his obsession to satisfy the demands for elegance, success and prowess that society expected of him.

The graphic account of Junaedi, the lad's name, is by no means a solitary tale. Many graduates face similar, if not harder conditions. Some appear rowdy but are not rogues; inquisitive at times but not orchestrating rebellions; delinquents of sorts, but renegades they aren't.

Yet society's interest in their plight, despite claims to the contrary, are at best lukewarm. The big shots' only interest being "factory" capacities, they focus only on quantity; paying heed to neither quality nor tomorrow's buyers. Apparently the manpower planning unit was relegated to the vagaries of the laissez-faire market mechanism. It is an every-man-for-himself situation.

Astonishingly, job searching isn't a grim endeavor for everyone and vacancy announcements feature in many daily publications. The issue may not be scarcity of jobs after all, but maybe something else. Close scrutiny of such job announcements reveals two things: the focus on English language ability and the relegation of essential technical skills to triviality. Fluency in English is the pinnacle.

Whether out of deeper strategic considerations or merely as an emulation of others, many an Indonesian firm irrespective of scale and scope, finds it more rewarding to underscore mastery in English as the nonnegotiable pre-requisite.

Phlegmatic minds can't but snap, unable to read between the lines. For Junaedi, hardly have the graduation fireworks stopped when the macabre forces strike him. First that Bahasa Indonesia, sacrosanct as it has been made out to be, doesn't even feature among the requirements for him to qualify for most jobs.

Yet just yesterday "One nation, one language" (Satu nusa, satu Bahasa) was a phrase that earned him praise and accolade in many circles. Doubtless the student's concentration was tailored to mastering Indonesian and several other subjects but English. The decision being in compliance with conventional wisdom: relegate English to a trivial position in accordance with the dictates of the curriculum.

To the surprise of Junaedi, the job vacancies with good prospects are advertised in English, moreover in Bahasa Indonesia dailies! His head spins. Some leeway is in order for these foreign incorporated firms, he thinks. Surely such companies try to attune their activities to all countries where they operate and even beyond, thus using English maybe justifiable.

It is another matter for Indonesian incorporated companies having neither offices nor operations abroad. It smacks of either a deliberate attempt to stifle top Indonesian brains, preventing them from assuming top brass positions in such enterprises or a dubious attempt to use English as a sieving mechanism in their recruitment exercises.

This is not to say one is obsessed with nationalism, the days of this kind of thinking having long gone, but rather the need for a link between what the education world offers and the demands of the business world. If it is felt that English is vital for most jobs, then prioritizing it at school, university and vocational academies would do a lot of good!

Fattening the bottom line should no longer be the solitary target of companies, as the welfare of the local citizens seems to matter too. Any policy should underscore this perspective. Blaming the students for their plight would be putting the cart before the horse. It is their elders who incepted, regulated and implemented the system but failed to read the writing on the wall and make necessary adjustments.

There is a need to stem the tide of disappointment, frustration and disillusionment flowing from beneath. Yet if the newly graduated brace hardships with acquiescence, the same is hardly the case with their kith and kin.

It is hard for a mother to fold her arms forever when her only investment is overwhelmed by what to her are ingeniously conceived recruitment measures. Her wrath will never reach the culprits, but the direct beneficiaries who are soft targets: expatriates. One only hopes such time never comes to pass.

The call for action goes to government bureaucrats; the same should reverberate in personnel managers' offices. It is a manifestation of extreme insensitivity to make English a pre- requisite for success in any job, knowing well the ability of local folks in that area.

If English fluency is deemed indispensable for any job, the onus should be on enterprises, the government and employees alike to figure out how such an ability can be attained. Workforce regeneration, the sine qua non for sustainable development, is undermined if demand for experience is the cornerstone for one's successful attainment of a job: it is only the old guards changing position, leaving the young out in the cold.

Hence introspection is called for, if the salvation of many generations is to take shape. There are high hopes that fruition will come in time if everyone resolves to go that extra mile.

The writer is a graduate student at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.