Lili's Struggle to Find Work: Difficult to Find Roles Matching Her Experience

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A job seeker named Lili (35) was seen walking around the Jakarta Job Fair area held at Gelanggang Remaja Jakarta Utara, Tanjung Priok, on Wednesday (20/5/2026). When approached by Kompas.com, she occasionally paused in front of company stalls to read the recruitment banners posted one by one. When asked, Lili admitted that her visit to the job fair was not her first time. She had attended similar events several times since her contract ended in October 2024. Lili previously worked as an operational administrator in the food and beverage (FnB) sector. After her contract ended, she said she had not yet secured permanent employment. To meet her daily living needs, she runs a side business. ‘There isn’t (a permanent job yet), I just have a side business,’ she said. While seeking work at various job fairs, Lili said she still finds it difficult to locate vacancies that match her work experience. In her view, the available vacancies are more often for sales and marketing positions, whereas she has more experience in administration and back office. ‘For my field, the experience I’m looking for is quite hard too,’ she said. Because she has already completed the application processes to several companies, but not all lead to a call. ‘Often, when we fill in, scan or use a form like a G-form, sometimes you get called, sometimes not. It’s luck,’ she added. She also admitted that she frequently encounters age requirements when seeking work. According to Lili, her work experience is not usually a problem. However, age limits in job advertisements narrow her opportunities. ‘(Age) limit is a problem; if it’s about experience, that’s not a problem,’ she said. ‘Especially age, and the variations of positions. Often the emphasis is on sales and marketing, something like that,’ she added.