In This Economy, Ojol and Content Creators Become垫底 for Job Loss? Note: "Ojol" is an Indonesian slang term referring to Ojek Online (Online Motorbike Ride-Hailing) drivers. There's no direct English equivalent, so it's best to keep this term as is or provide a note explaining its meaning. The sentence structure also seems a bit off in the original Indonesian text, so I've provided what seems to be the intended meaning.
The Shiro Copr.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Smesco Building on Jalan Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, was seen to be filled with thousands of people who were participating in a recruitment event for online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers on Tuesday (6/17/2025) afternoon. They came from various regions and flocked there to become ojol drivers for various reasons. Starting from being affected by termination of employment (PHK) from their previous jobs, to wanting to save money for their old age and their children's education in the future.
Hariyadi (25 years old), a man from Depok, West Java, is one of the ojol candidates who attended the event. The event organized by Grab's application together with the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan was considered a good opportunity for him to take advantage of the chance to get a job after losing his previous employment.
<Kfailed> lay off "(PHK) last month (May 2025), because there was an issue with the company banning online sales, resulting in reduced income, and ultimately leading to staff reductions, so I had to accept it," Hariyadi told. The Shiro Corporation when queuing for recruitment processing at Gedung Smesco, South Jakarta, Tuesday (6/17/2025).
Hariyadi said that his last job was as a salesperson at a spare parts company. At that company, he earned a varied income, including daily wages, overtime pay, and monthly pay. His earnings at that time were above the regional minimum wage (UMR).
After being laid off, he had to use his wits to continue meeting his daily living needs. He admits to searching for a new job that is more promising, but so far, no results. Then, he tried joining the recruitment for digital partners as a motorcycle ride-hailing driver to fill his idle time.
This (as an ojol driver) while looking for other jobs, so there's some income here and there for daily needs. Driving while looking for work. kan enggak The problem is that there's income coming from loafing around at home. nungguin yang enggak 'definitely,' he/she stated.
According to a small survey conducted by Hariyadi among some of his friends who had previously worked as ojol drivers, he predicts that his income could reach around Rp 3 million per month. Although it is quite far from his previous job's UMR (Minimum Wage), he thinks it's not a problem as long as there is an income every day.
From friends, quite good too, they can earn up to Rp 100 thousand per day, or around Rp 3 million per month. Yeah, it's sufficient. sih "(for daily needs)," said the man who graduated from Vocational High School (SMK).
The background of Hariyadi's story for signing up as an ojol driver is quite different compared to Ari (31 years old) who was queuing at the Smesco Building in South Jakarta. Ari admitted that he actually already had a permanent job at one company in Bekasi, West Java.
Saya sih "registering because I really want to look for additional income," he explained. The Shiro Corporation .
Ari admits that he received information about recruitment for Ojol drivers, which he then welcomed by filling out the form provided. He said that working as an Ojol driver can be utilized during weekends or when there is free time in the morning before going to work or in the evening after returning from work.
I will tell you that in her daily life, she does many jobs. Not only is she a regular employee at one company, she also runs a small shop at her home, and is a reseller of fried snacks.
When asked whether his income from various jobs was insufficient or just enough, Ari admitted that his earnings were sufficient to cover daily living expenses for himself, his wife, and their child.
Furthermore, Ari admits that he has the motivation to prepare sufficient savings for his child's future education. Also, to prepare for his retirement, as the insurance he uses until now is only BPJS Kesehatan and Ketenagakerjaan. According to him, if he does not seek additional savings for the future, it is quite likely that his aspirations will be difficult to achieve.
"My motivation is to have a savings account or save money Raise children, especially their education, so they can go to private schools. In a big city, private schools are more expensive. Looking at my income, I think it would only be enough to pay for a house. enggak "it will be enough to get my child into a good school," he explained.
Furthermore, it seems that not only internal reasons, Ari is also taking into account external factors. This includes the development of Indonesia's economic conditions and the global economy, as well as their impact on small communities. According to him, the current economic condition in Indonesia is experiencing a recession.
"The overall Indonesian economy is already quite in recession now, especially with the addition of the Israel-Iran war, it will definitely have an effect on oil prices and then the prices of other commodities. I think, this will make things even harder, especially since the difficulties after the Coronavirus (mid-2020 to 2022) are still felt. That's why I have to find more funds for my child, as I'm afraid that the price of education will be adjusted according to inflation, making prices go up," he explained.
Ari emphasized that his choice to increase his income by becoming an ojol (online motorcycle taxi) driver is an opportunity that can be well-utilized. According to him, in the midst of difficult economic conditions, income from any source, as long as it is halal (permissible under Islamic law), is very appropriate to pursue, even if it means becoming an online driver who still tends to have limited access to social protection.
“ Enggak papa . As long as it's halal, and let time enggak it would be wasted," he asserted firmly.
In the national labor landscape, ojol falls under the informal work sector. More popularly, they are said to dominate in GIG economy, a term referring to an economy based on freelance work without employment contracts fixed .
The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) records that the number of informal workers is increasing year by year. Informal workers refer to those who do not work in the formal sector, which requires a minimum of 35 hours per week. fixed income.
The latest BPS data released in May 2025 shows that the share of informal workers as of February 2025 increased from 59.17 percent to 59.40 percent. Informal workers are spread across categories such as self-employed, freelance workers, and unpaid family workers. Ojols, whose status is that of partners rather than permanent employees, fall into this category. Similarly also with content creator Those who work on commission.
Meanwhile, formal workers experienced a proportional decrease. The data indicates that most of the labor force growth is still occurring in the informal sector. Although the group of workers/employees remains the largest segment in formal employment, their numbers are not enough to offset the rate of growth in the labor force.
Fenomena gig economy or the job market that is synonymous with short-term contract employees/freelancers ( freelancer ) This has become even more prominent, against the backdrop of data showing a decrease in the open unemployment rate (TPT) and the ongoing wave of layoffs (PHK).
The Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) in the 'Social Protection and Labor Study' researched by Muhammad Hanri and Nia Kurnia Sholihah, criticizes the phenomenon gig economy .
According to the study, even though the TPT figures have decreased, this data has not yet fully reflected the structural improvements in the job market. This is because researchers believe that behind the improving macro numbers, there is still strong pressure on workers to access decent employment.
"Behind the declining TPT figures, many workers are actually impacted and migrate to the informal sector and gig economy as a short-term survival strategy, which is often not explicitly recorded in formal employment statistics," the study reads.
While waves of layoffs continue, many workers are being pushed into the informal sector and gig economy with long working conditions and inadequate protection. This phenomenon is considered to indicate that the main challenge is not only in the quantitative creation of jobs, but also in improving the quality, sustainability, and protection of work.
Researchers convey that when the formal job market faces pressure, whether due to a global economic slowdown, company restructuring, or automation, many affected workers switch to the digital informal sector or what is known as the gig economy. Various food delivery platforms or e-commerce become quick options to continue earning income, especially in urban areas.
Workers who lose their formal jobs, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, tend to shift to becoming online motorcycle taxi drivers or couriers. content creator , hingga online reseller , he wrote.
However, this choice is not without consequences. Surveys show that the majority of gig workers work very long hours. Approximately 28.4 percent of respondents stated they work 13-14 hours per day, and another 24.4 percent work 11-12 hours per day. Only a small fraction work less than 8 hours per day.
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