JP./Dhoni Setiawan

With the Idul Fitri holidays over, Jakarta is bracing itself for the annual tide of people moving to the city, an influx of newcomers lured by the Jakarta dream. According to city data, the largest swell on record occurred last year, when the capital welcomed around 70,000 fresh faces, 10,000 more than in 2014.

While the countryside offers certain attractions — peace and quiet, principally — it lacks the advantages of life in one of the great world metropolises. Here we list five of Jakarta’s strongest pulls.

Working it

One of the most common reasons cited for moving to Jakarta is the more extensive range of career options compared with other cities.

Arviana Nova did not wait long to move to Jakarta after graduating from the law department of a private university in Malang, East Java. Three weeks after graduation, Arviana booked a plane ticket to Jakarta after being invited to a job interview.

In Malang, she said, it was not easy to find a position as a legal officer, with many firms telling her the post was only available at the Jakarta head office.

“I am not a fan of Jakarta, but I don’t have any other choice than to start my career here,” she said, adding that she hoped one day to find a good job in Malang.

Money talks

With the country’s highest minimum wage, Jakarta is a strong financial temptation for workers from across the country.

The province offers workers a minimum monthly salary of Rp 3.1 million (US$239); in comparison, the next two highest, in North Sulawesi and Bangka-Belitung, are Rp 2.4 million and Rp 2.34 million, respectively.

“Frankly, I was initially drawn to work in Jakarta because of the pay, which is much higher than in my region,” said Regina Utari Suwiryo, a 23-year-old native of Yogyakarta, where the minimum wage stands between Rp 1.23 million and Rp 1.45 million.

Time to play

As with most major cities, Jakarta’s cultural and entertainment delights are never-ending. No matter what your interests, the capital caters to them. While some options can be costly, museums and historic sites are often free or ask only a small donation.

From visiting the national museum to learn more about art and history and scoring tickets to see local or international acts, to tasting the night-life of the big city, newcomers are unlikely to get bored.

School’s in

Jakarta is one of Indonesia’s centers of education, with bright young things traveling sometimes hundreds of kilometers from far-flung corners of the archipelago to study at the many universities and high schools in the capital and its agglomeration.

The University of Indonesia (UI) in Depok, for example, is considered one of the three best universities in the country alongside Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java.

Another big name of the learning game is SMAN 8, one of the best state high schools in Indonesia.

And these are just two of the scores of universities, high schools and course centers in Jakarta, offering education in fields spanning law, finance and management, design, engineering and medicine, among many others.

People power

As the center of governance and corporate management, Jakarta is home to the country’s great and good — from prominent businessmen to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

While some see this as a simple fact of life, others admit to being dazzled by the VIP glitz.

Hendra Tajuddin, for example, told The Jakarta Post that he was willing to end his three-year career as a high-school teacher in Makassar, South Sulawesi, to take up a position at a state-owned bank.

“I want to meet important people here, and gain greater knowledge from them,” Hendra said.

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