Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a nation in Southeast Asia. It comprises of five main islands and 30 smaller islands, and has a total of more than 17,000 islands of which about 6,000 are inhabited. It is the largest archipelago and the fourth most populous country in the world.
 

Capital : Jakarta

Currency : Rupiah (IDR)

Official languages : Indonesian

Internet TLD : .id

Government : Presidential Republic

Calling code : +62

Population : 222,781,000 (2005 estimate)

Climate : Tropical; Hot and Humid

Official Website : http://www.indonesia.go.id/en/

Careers in Indonesia

Indonesia has had to deal with a series of problems in recent years. There has been economic instability caused by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and political unrest; the unease felt by international businesses based in the region, following first 9/11 and then terrorist attacks such as the Bali bombing; and the devastation caused by the December 2004 tsunami. Despite these knocks to the country and the severe economic crisis that prevailed over recent years, Indonesia appears to be turning a corner and looking towards a brighter future. With economic growth continuing, the economic outlook was looking stronger in 2005. Supported by stronger domestic consumption and investment, the GDP growth hit 5.6 per cent in 2005 and is expected to rise to 6-6.5 per cent in 2006-07, which will be the fastest rate since the 1997 financial crisis.


Information and communication technologies:

Like the rest of the world, Indonesia knows that to progress as a country, their information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure must rival those of neighbouring countries. Already one of the fastest-growing mobile-telephone markets in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ministry of Industry's action plan for the broader industry will focus on developing industry centres, strategic alliances and, most importantly, human resources. In the short term, both the industry and aspiring graduates have been encouraged by an agreement signed in July 2005 between Indonesia and Microsoft Asia in Beijing, which will see Microsoft Corp building a new research centre in Indonesia. In addition, with the government focusing on research and development to achieve a knowledge based society and with the increase in international investment, there will be an increase in the demand for skilled ICT professionals to support the growing industry.


Government policies towards hiring expats

The second, most important thing is you must realize is that employment in Indonesia is not truly "open" to expatriates' early 2002 government figures show that 40+ million Indonesians are unemployed and about 10% of them are professionals. The government policy clearly states that it does not want a company in Indonesia, domestic or foreign, to hire an expatriate for a job that can be done by an Indonesian. There are too many unemployed Indonesians looking for work! This policy pretty much precludes the young, adventuring expat with little work experience from getting a job in Indonesia.


Work Permits

In order for a company in Indonesia to hire an expatriate, they must have permission from the government. Obtaining this permission can be time consuming, costly and extremely bureaucratic. Hiring an expatriate is not a decision taken easily by local or multinational companies. Government policy states that foreigners who work in Indonesia must be "experts" in their field. This precludes your average recent university graduate from working here . as the government sees an expert as someone who has been working in their field professionally for 5 to 10 or more years. The only exception we've found to this rule is for native speakers teaching English. If you have teaching qualifications and are a native speaker . you are already an expert in your field . even if you are a fresh graduate. If the government accepts the company's application (manpower plan) . then the expatriate is issued a work permit. After the work permit is approved, the company can also apply for a semi-resident visa for the new employee. More information on documents needed by expats can be found at Visas and Documentation. In addition to the applications and bureaucratic hassles of hiring foreigners, the company must pay a monthly tax of $100 for each foreigner they hire. These funds are paid to the Manpower Ministry . who ostensibly uses the funds for training programs to increase the skills of Indonesians