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Tens of thousands seek better lives in Jakarta. But is the city losing its draw?
Jakarta has long been a magnet for people searching for better livelihoods, particularly after Idul Fitri. But this year, the estimated number of newcomers has fallen as the economies of other cities in the country start to catch up.
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Travel hub: People pass in front of Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta on April 18, 2024. The station is a major hub for intercity trains in Jakarta, serving routes from West Java to East Java. (JP)
(JP/Nur Janti)
T
he practice leaving one’s home for a faraway place is known in Indonesian as merantau (migration), and those who do so are known as perantau (migrants), such as Hopi Islami, a 24-year-old native of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, who graduated from a private university in Yogyakarta in 2023.
She plans to seek a job as a copywriter in Jakarta this month.
“I want to start a career in Jakarta considering there are many companies in the creative industry sector and job vacancies. I think Jakarta is the right place, even though it's not that easy to get a job there,” Hopi told The Jakarta Post on April 25.
Even though the government was planning to make Nusantara in East Kalimantan the new national capital, Hopi said, as long as Jakarta still officially held the title, people would go there.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed Law No. 2/2024 on the special region of Jakarta, which outlines the process for the transfer of capital city status from Jakarta to Nusantara.
However, Article 63 of the law signed on April 25 stipulates that the capital city transfer requires a presidential regulation to take effect.
Another newcomer, Sarnah, 39, is also seeking a better life in Jakarta after Idul Fitri, after leaving her job as a farmer in Lampung.
