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Jakarta loses its appeal to newcomers
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A delman (horse-drawn carriage) driver prepares his carriage on Jan. 28, 2025, while waiting for passengers near the National Monument (Monas) park in Jakarta. Delman might look like colorful additions to the city, adorned by decorations and small bells that tinkle when the horse moves, but some owners still rely on harmful traditional medications, including puncturing the horse's muscles with bamboo sticks to pass a rope through to “cleanse“ their blood. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
J
akarta is expected to welcome fewer newcomers following this year’s Idul Fitri holiday compared to previous years, despite Governor Pramono Anung’s decision not to carry out “justice operations” aimed at curbing urban migration.
In Muslim-majority Indonesia, the holiday is traditionally marked by the annual exodus (mudik) when city dwellers travel back to their hometowns bearing gifts and stories of life in the metropolis, often inspiring relatives to join them on the return trips in hopes of starting anew in big cities.
The Jakarta Civil Registration Agency, however, has recorded a steady decline in the number of incoming residents in recent years, with figures dropping from around 32,000 in 2022 to 28,000 in 2023, and further down to 16,000 in 2024. This year, the number is projected to fall even lower, reaching approximately 10,000 newcomers.
Analysts have attributed the trend to a range of issues facing the city of over 11 million residents, including soaring living costs and an increasingly competitive job market. Additionally, the lack of coordinated policies between the Jakarta administration and neighboring city governments has made resettling to the Greater Jakarta area less attractive.
While Pramono has made a public statement to welcome the newcomers and assist them in finding new jobs, top officials in some of Jakarta’s buffer zones tend to take a harsher approach.
Read also: Stiff’ competition awaits as Pramono welcomes 'mudik' newcomers to Jakarta
In a press conference at the City Hall on Tuesday, Pramono even said his administration will provide aspiring newcomers with opportunities to join skill-training programs at job centers. But the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician emphasized they should subsequently change their residential status on ID cards.
