According to SEEK data, Indonesia is the market with the highest number of problematic job advertisements. Accounting for 62 percent of the total job scam cases in Asia, Indonesia is the most vulnerable country to job scams. The data was obtained by SEEK, the parent company of Jobstreet and JobsDB, based on tracking across all job market platforms as of October 2025. When it comes to overseas job scams, the head of the International Relations Department at Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta University (UMY) and an expert in Indonesian foreign policy, migration, and Southeast Asia, Ali Maksum, PhD, explained the two main factors causing this issue.
Ali explained that Indonesia’s vulnerability to job scams consists of push and pull factors. The push factor arises when the domestic economy does not provide enough opportunities, while the pull factor strengthens as working abroad is seen as promising higher wages and a better quality of life. ‘Working abroad has become part of our culture. Many see it as a great opportunity, despite the high risks, including job scams,’ Ali stated on the UMY website on Saturday (11/29/2025). He added that the low level of education and digital literacy makes people susceptible to misinformation. The government has official channels such as the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI), the Ministry of Manpower, and licensed private manpower agencies. However, these official channels are often considered cumbersome, slow, and bureaucratic.
According to Ali, this situation leads many job seekers to take shortcuts, such as middlemen, to handle passport processing and departure. ‘They are afraid to manage their documents. They even hire middlemen to process passports. Over time, they get used to taking shortcuts, which opens the door to human trafficking,’ emphasized the Fisipol UMY lecturer. The most vulnerable group to fake job offers are individuals from lower to middle economic classes. They tend to quickly respond to job offers, especially if they involve language courses or administrative fees. ‘Almost all of these job offers require payment, which is seen as normal. However, this is a wrong employment culture in Indonesia,’ he said.
To address this issue, Ali urges the government to strengthen legal aspects and improve migrant labor service access. Additionally, public education should be intensified through digital media and grassroots communities to ensure people understand the safe and official migration routes. ‘Regulations are essential, but monitoring and law enforcement must be strengthened. Scammers must be dealt with severely. Especially with the uncontrolled social media platforms. Therefore, literacy and public awareness must be increased so that people know that the official route is the only safe path,’ he revealed.
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