Underpaid college grads eye job as maid

Underpaid college grads eye job as maid

Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

About 1,000 people flocked to a reality show audition earlier
this month, where local soap opera heartthrob Ari Wibowo was
looking for a domestic helper with a promised monthly salary of
Rp 10 million (US$1,050) for a one-year contract.

The show attracted people from various backgrounds, most of
whom said the money was their main motive, particularly
university students and graduates.

Apparently, the Ari Wibowo Cari Pembantu (Ari Wibowo Search
for a Housemaid) reality show also attracted university graduates
as they, according to a recent government labor survey, only
earned Rp 1.54 million per month, on average.

The 2004 National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) report shows
that of the country's 2.4 million recent university graduates
that are actually employed, most earned between Rp 1 million and
Rp 2 million monthly.

The report also concluded that recent university graduates
working in the mining sector earned an average Rp 3.11 million
monthly last year.

Last year's lowest average income for a university graduate
was at Rp 1.34 million in the community, social and personal
services sector.

Gender-wise and regardless of educational background, male
managers in the mining sector earned the highest average monthly
salary of Rp 5.91 million last year.

The figure, however, was 40 percent higher than the highest
average amount received by female managers, working in the
transportation sector, at Rp 3.49 million per month.

The survey said that the open unemployment rate rose to 9.86
percent last year from 9.67 percent in 2003, despite the fact
that the economy grew by 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent in the
corresponding period.

The absolute numbers for open unemployment expanded to 10.25
million people in 2004 from 9.94 million the previous year.

Separately, a human resources executive in a multinational
company said a survey of the country's 100 top firms showed that
fresh graduates at entry managerial level were paid between Rp
2.05 million and Rp 2.68 million, not including benefits, last
year.

The executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The
Jakarta Post that fresh graduates could have their salary
increased to Rp 5.4 million monthly after two years, before
benefits or bonuses were figured in.

"Only if he is a very high performer, can he earn Rp 10
million per month after at least three years," the executive
said.

Even the top firms' average for entry level positions, which
is lower than the reality show's, made the idea of being a
domestic servant even more attractive.

Many underpaid or unemployed graduates were seen applying to
work as domestics, and likely there were lots of others who
strongly considered giving it a shot. It will require them to be
a bodyguard, house security guard and personal masseur/masseuse,
as well as taking care of household chores, irrespective of their
educational attainment.

Media reports said the reality show applicants included
teachers, models and flight attendants, as well as postgraduate
students.

One of them was Irvan, a postgraduate student of international
relations at the University of Indonesia, who advanced to the big
20 episode.

"My motivation is money. If I win, I will use the money to
finance my education abroad," he was quoted by Warta Kota daily
as saying, and went on to add that if the show made him famous he
would regard it as a "fun bonus".