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View all search resultsJakarta job fairs highlight ongoing struggle with skills mismatch
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Tall order: Job seekers undergo a height test to apply for company security guard positions at JobFest 2025 on Aug. 19 at the Jakarta International Velodrome, Jakarta. The Jakarta administration, through the job fair, helped to offer around 2,000 vacancies from 37 companies.
(Antara/Muhammad Rizky Febriansyah)
T
he Jakarta administration continues to stage job fairs in an effort to curb unemployment, despite criticism over the relatively low number of successful hires from past events, widely attributed to a mismatch between applicants’ skills and market needs.
The city administration has organized 13 job fairs so far this year, but only two-fifths of the 3,700 applicants reportedly secured jobs, a modest outcome considering that some fairs had offered thousands of positions. Nevertheless, the city plans to hold eight more before the year ends.
The latest fair took place at the Jakarta International Velodrome in Rawamangun, East Jakarta from Aug. 19 to Aug. 20, drawing thousands of job seekers vying for some 2,000 openings from 37 companies, including privately owned lender PT Bank OCBC NISP and pharmaceutical firm Pharos Group.
For many, such in-person events are a rare opportunity after months of sending unanswered online applications. Slamet Sucipto, a 38-year-old father of four from East Jakarta’s Pulo Gadung, has struggled since losing his janitorial job at an automotive firm in April.
Like many older workers, he feels disadvantaged in a market that often favors younger applicants. Some companies only hire those around 30 years old, as observed by The Jakarta Post during the two-day event.
Read also: Hidden job crisis behind the falling unemployment rate
“Honestly, I feel insecure about my age. The only jobs I can apply for are janitorial or clerical positions,” Slamet, a high school graduate, said last Wednesday. “But events like this at least give more certainty compared to applying blindly online”.
