#KaburAjaDulu: A Smart Move for Indonesians or Just a Well-Packaged Fantasy?
What does #KaburAjaDulu mean for Indonesia’s best and brightest? Learn why leaving isn’t always the easy answer.
Indonesia is on the rise! The economy is booming! Just look at that steady 5% GDP growth! Look at Jakarta’s sparkling new infrastructure! Look at the ambitious government slogans about an unstoppable future!
And now, look at the country’s most educated and capable young professionals buying one-way tickets to Germany, Australia, and Canada.
Wait… what?
Yes, despite all this supposed prosperity, the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu ("just escape first") is trending among young Indonesians who are desperate to move abroad. Apparently, they’d rather brave visa rejections, job insecurity, cultural isolation, and potential deportation than stick around and enjoy the privilege of fighting for decent wages at home.
Strange. It’s almost as if GDP growth doesn’t mean anything when it’s concentrated in the hands of a few political and business elites, and the rest of the country is stuck trying to turn scraps into a career.
But at least the new MRT looks nice, right?
Indonesia’s "Booming Economy": A Story of Misleading Statistics and Concentrated Wealth
The 5% GDP growth flex is Indonesia’s favorite party trick. Officials roll it out every year like a proud dad showing off his kid’s participation trophy, conveniently forgetting to mention that GDP is not a paycheck, nor is it an accurate measure of how much nasi padang the average Indonesian can afford.
Most of this “growth” comes from things Indonesia digs out of the ground. Big business loves it, politicians love it, but regular people? Unless you own a mining empire (in which case, congratulations, why are you even reading this?), this resource-driven economy isn’t exactly putting millions into your bank account. Instead, the wealth funnels upward, while the average worker still earns wages that make “saving for the future” sound like a luxury hobby.
Then there’s GDP per capita: hovering under $5,000. Which means that 5% annual growth? In actual dollar terms, it’s the equivalent of adding a handful of loose change to a barely-full wallet. The economy expands, but the average person doesn’t actually feel it.
And yet, Jakarta defenders will insist: “Cost of living isn’t so bad!” True. Jakarta is affordable in the sense that you can rent a modest apartment, eat street food, and get around for cheap. But that “affordability” disappears the moment you want anything beyond the basics.
Imported goods? Expensive. Travel abroad? A financial migraine. Buying a house? Sure, if you also enjoy long-term debt servitude.
Meanwhile, people romanticizing the Western dream conveniently ignore the reality of insane rent prices, brutal tax rates, and an economy where locals themselves are struggling to keep up.
So, is Indonesia’s economy broken? Not entirely. But is it “booming” in a way that benefits everyone? That depends if you're at the top of the food chain, or just another data point in the GDP statistics?
Nepotism? In This Economy? Groundbreaking.
Nepotism is the great equalizer... if by equalizer, you mean a system that ensures some people get everything while others get to watch from the sidelines. It’s not that nepotism doesn’t exist elsewhere; of course it does. The difference is that in some places, they at least have the courtesy to lie about it.
In the West, nepotism wears a tailored suit and calls itself 'legacy admissions' or 'strategic networking.' In Indonesia? It’s just Pak Budi handing his son the director job because, well, he’s Pak Budi’s son. No cover-ups, no PR spins, just good old-fashioned family favoritism in broad daylight.
But let’s be fair. Families everywhere look out for their own. It’s human nature, and Indonesia’s deeply collectivist culture only amplifies this instinct. The real issue isn’t that Pak Budi’s son gets an easy ride, it’s that there aren’t enough additional opportunities for everyone else. If economic growth created widespread, accessible wealth, people wouldn’t care that some rich kid is coasting through life. But when the rich stay rich, the poor stay poor, and the talented stay unemployed, the frustration becomes existential.
And then, there’s foreign direct investment (FDI). Investors bring money, jobs, and competition. Great, right? Not if you’re part of the status quo. Letting in FDI could shake up power structures, introduce new players, and disrupt who gets rich and how. And that’s a problem for, well… the people already sitting comfortably at the top.
So what’s left? A protectionist economy with too many job seekers, not enough jobs, and an impatient workforce watching TikToks about life in Melbourne. Eventually, people start doing the math: “If I stay, I’ll struggle. If I leave, I might struggle, but at least the salary will be in dollars.”
And so the cycle continues: fewer jobs, more frustration, and another farewell party at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The Government Is a Mess? Cool, So Is Literally Every Government Ever
Yes, Indonesia’s government is inefficient. Yes, many consider corruption a national pastime. Yes, bureaucracy is designed to slowly extract the will to live from anyone attempting to get basic paperwork done. These are all widely accepted truths, ranking just below “Jakarta traffic is a nightmare” and “nasi goreng is always a good idea.”
However, this is not uniquely Indonesia’s problem. The West, despite its shiny PR and insistence on lecturing other nations about governance, is just as broken.
America? A political soap opera where billionaires, corporations, and oil lobbyists make the real decisions, while Congress performs democracy as a suggestion.
The UK? Speedrunning how to dismantle an economy while their politicians debate whether heating or eating should be the public’s priority this winter.
France? Protests are such a staple that if people aren’t burning something down, you have to check if it’s a national holiday.
See the pattern here? Governments worldwide are just different shades of dysfunction. Sure, Indonesia’s bureaucracy is a headache, but at least it’s honest about it. In the West, they’ll waste three months “reviewing your case” before rejecting you for an expired signature.
Even if you want to fix things, it's tough getting a seat at the table. hierarchical systems mean change moves at the speed of a snail, and those at the top have very little incentive to change anything. So sure, blame the government, but don’t pretend you’re running toward paradise. You’re just trading one set of problems for another.
“The West Is Better!” Says The Person Who’s Never Lived There
The 'West' is where streets are paved with gold, salaries magically adjust for inflation, and government systems function with the precision of a Swiss watch. Right? Nope.
For every Indonesian romanticizing life in Berlin, Sydney, or Toronto, there’s a local resident angrily yelling at a government agency for losing their paperwork for the third time this year. Because here’s the reality: Western countries aren’t actively recruiting foreign workers out of the kindness of their hearts, they’re plugging holes in their own failing systems.
Take Germany. A country with an aging population so severe that by 2045, half its workforce might be retired. So yes, they’re thrilled to have young, ambitious professionals move in, because Germans themselves don’t want to do some of these jobs. Australia? Great pay, but also great taxes. And Canada? Let’s just say if you enjoy seeing houses priced at 10x your annual salary, you’re in for a treat.
And let’s not forget rising xenophobia and economic nationalism. Western nations are all too happy to recruit foreign talent, until their own economies tighten, and suddenly, immigrants go from “essential workers” to “job thieves” overnight. Hope you didn’t get too comfortable.
So, while it might feel like a fresh start, it’s not an automatic VIP pass to happiness. If you thought government bureaucracy in Indonesia was bad, wait until you experience the waiting list for a doctor’s appointment in the UK, or Australian landlords treating tenants like personal ATM machines.
The West isn’t perfect; it just markets itself better.
Moving Abroad: Not Always as Glamorous as the TikTok Edit
The dream! The skylines, the high-paying job, the effortlessly cool expat life where you sip coffee and discuss "opportunities" in co-working spaces. That’s the TikTok version. The real version? More paperwork, more stress, and more instant noodles than you’d care to admit.
Let’s start with underemployment. A shiny degree from Indonesia doesn't guarantee an equally shiny job abroad. Some find their qualifications aren’t recognized, and suddenly, that engineering degree is only as useful as it is decorative. Others get stuck in jobs they never imagined doing, because turns out, foreign companies like to hire locals first. Who knew?
Then there’s the visa headache. One minute you’re a “skilled worker,” the next, an “economic migrant” who’s suddenly surplus to requirements. Policies shift, governments change, and before you know it, you’re refreshing immigration websites at 2 AM, praying that your entire life in this country doesn’t get erased by a bureaucratic update.
And let’s not ignore the subtle (or not-so-subtle) nationalism creeping into politics worldwide. Depending on where you go, you might find yourself smiling through passive-aggressive comments about “locals first” hiring policies (despite those jobs being left wide open) or being mistaken for an Uber driver more times than you’d like.
Homesickness is real too. No, you won’t notice it at first. But slowly, the realization creeps in: your parents are getting older, your friends are moving on, and Indonesia has changed in ways you no longer recognize.
So yes, moving abroad can be great, but only if you’re actually prepared. Because for every Indonesian flexing their success on social media, there’s another one silently wondering if they made the right choice.
The Return Dilemma: What Exactly Are They Coming Back To?
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Indonesia somehow manages to woo back all the talented young professionals who fled to greener pastures. Maybe there’s a massive, government-funded “Welcome Home” campaign featuring a Garuda Airlines discount and some free Bakso vouchers. Maybe there’s a heartfelt speech from officials, imploring the brain drain generation to "give back" to their homeland. Maybe a few return, filled with nostalgia, ready to contribute to a better Indonesia.
And then reality slaps them in the face.
Because the big question remains: What exactly are they coming back to?
If someone has built a life in Canada, where salaries are higher, social services function (most of the time), and the trains don’t take seven presidential terms to construct, why would they return to lower wages, more bureaucracy, and Jakarta traffic?
The government could try incentives. Maybe some tax breaks, or a catchy program like “Come Home, We Promise It’s Different This Time.” But if an Indonesian engineer is making six figures in Germany, they’re not uprooting their family to move back to earn half of that and pay triple for imported cheese.
The real solution? Preventing the problem in the first place. Invest in talent. Pay competitive wages. Make Indonesia a country where ambitious young people want to build their future, rather than feeling like they have no choice but to leave.
Instead, we get the current strategy:
Create no real job opportunities.
Watch the best and brightest leave.
Act shocked when other countries benefit from them.
Indonesia scratches its head and issues another “brain drain” study.
Brilliant!
The #KaburAjaDulu movement is a wake-up call, sure; but a wake-up call to what, exactly? That young Indonesians are disillusioned? That they’re tired of waiting for things to get better? That they’ve realized no amount of motivational speeches about “working hard” will magically turn their salaries into something livable? We get it.
But let’s not pretend that blindly fleeing the country is the master key to happiness. It’s easy to assume that a change of scenery will fix everything, but problems don’t dissolve at the immigration counter. Every country has its own version of bureaucracy, job market frustrations, and government nonsense.
So before you sell your motorbike, delete your Grab app, and start memorizing the German word for “help, I’m broke”, ask yourself: Are you leaving for a legitimate opportunity, or just because you’re tired of the way things work here?
If everyone with the potential to change Indonesia chooses to leave, who exactly is going to fix the system? The same people who made it this way in the first place?
At some point, somebody has to stick around and make things better.
At StratEx - Indonesia Business Advisory we help employers retain key people before they become the next #KaburAjaDulu statistic. Contact us to craft sustainable people strategies, competitive packages, and future-focused leadership plans.