#31: The Temptation to Work Abroad
Many Indonesian youths are attracted to the prospects of working abroad. Why is that so?
Welcome to this week’s edition of SEAmplified! We amplify the voices of youths and unravel our shared culture and lived experiences in Southeast Asia.
In today’s newsletter, we explore why Indonesian youths are considering working overseas. Are they driven by the desire for better job opportunities, financial stability, or personal growth? Why are some keen to migrate, while others opt to seek local opportunities instead? How does it highlight the need to align education with market demands to tackle (un)employment issues?
Let’s dive in!
Reading time: 6 minutes
💼 Redefining Work
Redefining Work examines how Southeast Asian youths are rethinking their approach to work and what it means to be a successful professional.Why Are Indonesian Youths Finding Employment Abroad?
Would you choose to work overseas?
For myself and my peers in Singapore, finding employment locally often seems like the default choice.
The benefits are clear: the comfort of familiar surroundings, minimal relocation costs, and an existing support network.
Working locally means avoiding the logistical and cultural uncertainties of relocating overseas.
However, there’s also an increasing number of youths outside my network of friends who are relocating for work, like this couple here. 64% out of 3,260 Singaporeans surveyed are willing to relocate for work, of which 72% are youths below 30.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, it seems that there’s always been a strong desire amongst youths to work abroad.
A 2019 survey revealed that 71% of youths have considered moving abroad for various reasons. 46% of them want better job opportunities, while 36% hope to amass more wealth.
Even today, I noticed that the conversation on seeking employment overseas among my Indonesian friends remains more robust than ever. Many of them hope to work abroad, after seeing how their friends have done so too.
What’s pushing them to do so?
In Pursuit of Personal Growth
For youths like Yashan Putra (not his real name), 23, finding a job abroad isn’t just about securing employment; it’s a significant step towards a more robust and fulfilling career.
The 3D artist views a successful career as one where companies seek him out due to his expertise, and working overseas will allow him to grow professionally through advanced training and exposure to higher industry standards.
Yashan’s previous training stint at a Korean game studio was stringent, refined, and closely aligned with Triple-A studios. These studios, known for their large budgets and high production value, have high standards and require a skill level that Yashan finds hard to acquire through local companies.
“The techniques and methods I’ve used previously [in local studios] aren’t usable in the Korean training program,” Yashan shared.
He also believes that working abroad is about gaining experiences that will position him as an in-demand professional with a competitive edge in his field.
Understanding that Yashan has a strong desire to work overseas, I wondered if he had closed off all options of seeking employment in Indonesia.
He acknowledges that being adamant would limit his options and while he does see the benefit of working in a growing independent studio, he still wants to prioritize finding work abroad.
Yashan mentions wanting to work in studios from Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore, due to their high standard of production.
Apart from his desire to upskill, the fact that local companies are looking for freelancers to produce high-quality work in exchange for a low compensation rate has also pushed him to work overseas.
The Thrill of the Challenge
Meanwhile, Justin Hermanto, 24, also seeks to work abroad, but his motivation lies in personal development.
His desire to take on new challenges has pushed him to move from Surakarta – his hometown in Central Java – to Jakarta for university and work. The same desire is now pushing him to venture out of Indonesia to live and work in Singapore independently.
“I’m curious. I want to learn about [their] culture, lifestyle, and habits,” he shared, “Singapore isn’t far from Indonesia and the public transportation is very convenient.”
Apart from that, the ability to earn a higher income overseas is also an attractive factor.
He noted how other countries like Singapore and Australia have stronger currencies, and shared that he would like to return to Indonesia after amassing a fortune of wealth overseas.
“It is comfortable to live in Indonesia with a lot of money,” Justin said.
He adds that many of his friends who went abroad to work – most of them to Australia – were attracted by the lure of money.
In fact, many Indonesian youths are facing financial constraints and are struggling to make ends meet. A report has found that 15% of Indonesian youths are spending more than what they earn more than once a month. 60% of them have to borrow money from friends and relatives to make ends meet, while others take up freelance jobs to supplement their income.
The average starting monthly salary across Indonesia ranges from IDR 2,000,000 to IDR 5,000,000, approximately USD 127 and USD 318 respectively.
This is far less than what’s offered in Australia and Singapore, where it starts at about USD 2,300 and USD 2,600 respectively.
Couple that with the lack of employment opportunities, it is understandable why a large percentage of Indonesian youths are seeking employment abroad.
But are there no Indonesian youths who think otherwise?
Reluctance and Mismatch
Meet Kelvin Sugianto, 25.
Like many Indonesians who have moved around domestically in search of better opportunities, Kelvin has moved to Jakarta and found employment as a white-collar worker.
However, he has no intentions of working abroad.
He felt that his English proficiency wasn’t strong enough to find employment beyond Indonesia, and while his finances were tight, he could make ends meet through careful budgeting.
Kelvin also associates working abroad with blue-collar jobs, a notion he is reluctant to embrace.
“I don’t want to do [hard] labor,” he said.
He believes that working abroad means being a blue-collar worker. And he isn’t all wrong.
30-35% of university graduates working abroad are employed in roles classified as manual or semi-skilled labor, especially in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East.
The lack of job opportunities that match their qualifications means that youths often end up working as factory workers or domestic helpers.
Interestingly, a report by the British Council highlights high internal migration at 47% but makes no mention of external migration.
Just a few years ago, migrating overseas for work was frequently discussed on forums like Quora and Reddit. However, the report’s silence on external migration may suggest a shift in youth priorities – many of them are increasingly focused on domestic opportunities.
But a mismatch between skills gained in school and what’s required in the workforce is turning the job market into a competitive arena.
To get out of it, youths are increasingly turning their attention to starting their own business. The same report showed that about 60% of Indonesian youths are interested in doing so.
At the same time, they hope that the cost of living will go down and have more access to job opportunities. The increasing tension between youth aspirations and what society can offer now means that resolving the employment issue is not as simple as just creating jobs.
Similar challenges across Southeast Asia highlight the need for sustainable career pathways that offer growth and purpose. How can communities and policymakers better support these aspirations to build a resilient workforce for the future?
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