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Young adulthood blues in Indonesia: Graduating universities and still dependent on parents
Low starting salaries and parental care are discouraging many a young adult in Indonesia from getting a job.
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Unemployed youngsters throng a recent job fair in Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post/Ricky Yudhistira)
T
here is no survival guide for adulting. And for young adults in Indonesia, where millions are still unemployed, breaking free from parents’ financial support is not always an easy thing to do.
For Nuri, 31, the financial support from her parents is still her lifeline. Nuri still lives with her parents in Jakarta while trying to finish her master’s degree, which is fully funded by her parents.
She has done some freelance photography jobs but essentially relies on her parents. Fortunately for her, her parents cover her daily needs, and they pay her credit card bill. Her younger brother also helps her with transportation, food and other monthly needs.
“If they did not support my financial needs, I think I would discontinue my studies and try to find a proper job instead. My father wants me to start managing my money independently, so that one day, when he cannot support me anymore, I have enough savings of my own,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Nuri is not alone. A global survey published by British bank HSBC in 2017 reveals that Indonesia is the country with the second-largest number of parents still helping their adult children financially on a regular basis, with 77 percent of parents supporting children aged 18 or above.
The United Arab Emirates ranked highest, with 79 percent of parents there still supporting their grown-up offspring.
According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there are about 43 million people aged 20 to 29 in Indonesia, accounting for some 16 percent of the country’s population of 267 million. In February, about 3.5 million of them were unemployed.
