14-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Young Indonesians yearn to ‘run away' overseas for work as frustration grows
A 'cultural resistance' movement in Indonesia encouraging people to migrate has underscored growing frustration over a perceived lack of job opportunities and disillusionment with government policies.
Young Indonesians are voicing their aspirations to move abroad for work or study through the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu, or 'Let's Run Away First' on social media platforms such as X and TikTok.
'If you don't have much attachment in this country, please do really consider #KaburAjaDulu. Seriously,' user Petra Novandi said on X.
Observers cite a raft of reasons for this yearning. According to Ismail Fahmi, founder of Jakarta-based Media Kernels Indonesia, which monitors conversations on social media, the discourse was sparked by 'economic dissatisfaction, declining quality of life, social injustice, inadequate government policies, and hopes for a better future'.
Users exchanged tips, as well as the pros and cons, of living abroad. X user Hafizha Anisa, for example, said: 'I'm actually sick of this country's [problems], but I like Indonesia. Its nature, its food, its weather, its culture. Therefore, I don't want #KaburAjaDulu. This country must be taken back by the people from THEM. I want to live comfortably here as a citizen.'
Yoel Sumitro, an Indonesian in Germany, shared a list of countries rated by their salaries, living quality, ease of getting a visa, and job opportunities in the technology sector. For tech workers, he recommended Singapore, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Berlin and Dubai as their 'run away' destination.
