Natasya Salim and Tri Ardhya – Anger over slashed government budgets, poor quality of life, career stagnation and rampant official corruption is motivating many Indonesians to fantasise about "running away" from the country of 280 million people.
Students have staged mass demonstrations across the archipelago in response to President Prabowo Subianto's so-called "government efficiency" austerity measures, which includes reducing funding for education and health, to fund a flagship school lunches program.
A perception that political and economic conditions are worsening has driven thousands of young people to talk about leaving Indonesia in search of a better life under the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu, which translates to "let's just escape".
Vila Marescotti has worked in Indonesia's media industry for 11 years and is frustrated by a lack of career progression.
"You end up either staying at the same salary, taking a slight pay cut, or even switching careers and starting over at an entry-level salary," she said.
"It makes me wonder if any country would just adopt me."
The "let's just escape" hashtag racked up a whopping 20 billion interactions over the past two months, mostly on X and TikTok, according to social media monitoring firm Drone Emprit.
Some 49 per cent of those users were between 19 and 29 years old, the company found.
'Do you want to be Tarzan?'
Settling overseas is not a new trend for Indonesians, but the social media chatter has prompted public criticism from government figures.
Cabinet minister Nusron Wahid took aim at the aspirations of young Indonesians.
"If you decide to leave and find a place to live and work, that's fine. But if not, do you want to be homeless? Do you want to be Tarzan?" he said.
Other ministers used the moment to call for more jobs for young people in Indonesia.
"Come on, government officials, let's create better jobs," said Manpower Minister Yassierli, who goes by one name.
Youth unemployment is a major problem in South-East Asia's largest economy.
At least 9 million Indonesians aged between 15 and 24 years old were not employed or enrolled in education or training in 2023, according to the most recent official data.
University of Melbourne demographer Ariane Utomo said employment prospects for young adults in Indonesia remained "bleak".
"Job markets are becoming increasingly precarious, it is becoming harder for young people to secure upward mobility enabling jobs and build meaningful careers," Dr Utomo said.
But she said casualisation and insecure work for young people were not unique to Indonesia, and was "happening too in Australia".
Support system key
Indonesian government data showed in 2023 there were at least 6 million Indonesians in the diaspora across countries including Malaysia, China, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Ms Simanjuntak moved to Queensland in 2023 despite having a stable job as a general practitioner in the Indonesian city of Medan.
When she arrived, Ms Simanjuntak hoped to find work to fund her $3,000 skills assessment test for overseas doctors – a process that took six months.
"I think I applied to 100 companies," she said.
On top of that, Ms Simanjuntak has paid $6,000 and counting for courses to improve her English while "relearning" medical subjects.
While the move has not been easy, she feels lucky to have had a sibling already living in Australia.
"If I didn't have a support system, I think I would've returned to Indonesia," Ms Simanjuntak said.
"Especially knowing the living cost here is very high... if you don't have anyone here, this could affect your mental health."
Better pay and conditions
Moving away from friends and family and Indonesia's warm, tropical climate to Germany has posed mental health challenges for Ria Hapsari Dewi.
Ms Dewi moved to Germany in 2017 but is among those posting on the "let's just escape" hashtag to share her experience of living abroad.
It was only with a "steel mentality" that Ms Dewi had been able to battle seasonal depression in winter, she said, while adapting to a new language and work culture in her new home.
"Every time you go outside you have the grey sky and no sun," she said.
"Not to mention homesickness, loneliness, and seeing social media posts of your family together in Indonesia."
One of the reasons Ms Dewi left Indonesia was to improve her financial situation.
In Germany, her monthly take-home pay as a kindergarten teaching assistant is about $3,000 – 10 times higher than the minimum wage in her East Java hometown.
Whereas in Germany rights to paid annual and parental leave were a given, Ms Dewi said most of her friends in Indonesia would have to be hospitalised before being allowed to take time off.
'Are you actually ready?'
Indonesia's young people were the most educated they had ever been, Dr Utomo explained, adding that the country's "demographic dividend" suited the aging population and matched the skills shortages in many places they sought to migrate, such as Australia.
"Many industries [in these countries] are facing a shortage of workers and need labourers from other areas," she said.
Singapore has also been a popular new home for young Indonesians, the most recent publicly available data from Indonesia's immigration authorities showed.
Almost 4,000 Indonesian citizens aged between 25 and 35 renounced their citizenship to get a Singapore citizenship between 2019 and 2022.
Ms Dewi encouraged Indonesians to seek opportunities overseas, but warned them to do thorough research before leaving the country.
"Ask yourself first, do you really want to leave?" she said.
"You will leave your family, friends, and start from zero. Are you actually ready?"
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-01/indonesia-young-people-kaburajadulu-escape-overseas/10498495