Talent exodus fuels growing brain drain

Talent woes: A rider on a delivery bike in the business district of Jakarta. A recent report published by Core finds Indonesia lagging other countries of South-East Asia when it comes to youth employment, or those aged 15 to 24. — Reuters

JAKARTA: Indonesia has seen an increasing outflow of skilled young adults seeking work abroad in a brain drain phenomenon experts attribute to concern around job opportunities within the country.

Twenty-five-year-old political science graduate Fikri Haikal obtained a working holiday visa (WHV) in Australia and now makes a living as a poultry factory worker.