Is Hiring in Indonesia the Most Biased in the World? Asking for a Friend...

Indonesia—a nation of breathtaking diversity, 17,000 islands, and some of the most creative hiring practices you’ll ever encounter. The same country that gave the world satay and batik, has also gifted us one of the most spectacularly biased hiring processes known to humankind. Nepotism, cronyism, and favoritism aren’t just fringe benefits here—they’re the entire package. If you haven’t been plucked from a WhatsApp group of childhood buddies to land a cushy role, are you even Indonesian?

We might be looking at the world’s most creative approach to corporate recruitment. Who needs to bother with qualifications when the only real question is, "Were you at that wedding last Saturday?" Forget experience—here, personal connections are the real currency. If there were an Olympic sport for weaving bias into hiring decisions, Indonesia would bring home gold every time.

The Nepotism Shuffle: Why Qualifications Are So Last Season

Picture this: You stride confidently into an Indonesian HR office, clutching your meticulously curated resume, sporting top-tier qualifications, and a LinkedIn profile that doesn’t induce secondhand embarrassment. You’ve got the degrees, the relevant experience, and even those extra certificates you did just for fun. You think you’re a shoe-in, right? Well, think again, my friend. Your one critical error? You didn’t RSVP to Pak Bambang’s son’s wedding last year. You know, the one where the real hiring decisions were made, likely between rounds of karaoke and plates of nasi goreng.

You see, in Indonesia. your networking skills are judged not by how well you connect on LinkedIn, rather by how many wedding invitations you collect. Who cares about a master’s degree when you’ve mastered the art of small talk at family gatherings? It’s not about what you know, but who you know—and more importantly, how often you show up to their social events.

Of course, let’s not overlook the cherry on top: underqualified candidates who somehow land prime jobs because their best friend from high school is now running the show. No formal education? Perfect. Zero experience? Ideal! The only criteria that matters is your ability to keep a conversation going at a coffee shop.

Now, don’t get me wrong—Indonesian companies do value talent. It’s just that “talent” here has a rather… flexible definition. It’s less about your skill set and more about whether your name pops up in their contact list when they’re organizing a weekend hangout. So, is the HR rep a recruitment professional or just someone booking their next social event? That’s anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: the line between corporate hiring and party planning has never been blurrier.

LARPing as a Headhunter: The Role-Playing Game Nobody Asked For

In most parts of the world, being a headhunter means you’re a seasoned professional with a Rolodex full of talent and an uncanny ability to match the perfect candidate with the perfect job. In Indonesia, though? Let’s just say the bar is a little... lower. Here, all you need to become a headhunter is an Instagram account filled with motivational quotes, a LinkedIn bio that includes “#RecruitmentGuru,” and an obsession with Live Action Role Playing (LARPing). Not the kind with swords and shields, mind you—this is more like a recruitment-themed improv session where everyone pretends to know what they’re doing.

Why waste time assessing qualifications or work history when you can just cosplay as a hiring expert? Indonesia’s LARPing headhunters are all about putting on a good show. They’re the ones who breeze through client meetings with flashy presentations, endless buzzwords, and a confidence that would make even the most seasoned actor jealous. And sure, they might forget to, you know, actually evaluate the candidate’s skills, but hey, who’s keeping track?

These so-called recruitment "pros" are often introduced to companies through—you guessed it—mutual friends. Because nothing screams credibility quite like landing a client because your cousin vouched for you after a particularly lively karaoke session. It’s networking, Indonesian-style: where playing pretend can land you a six-figure deal, and evaluating a candidate's actual fit for a job is, well... non-existent.

Now, we’re not saying role-playing doesn’t have its place. But maybe leave the pretending to Dungeons & Dragons nights and let, you know, actual professionals handle the process of hiring qualified candidates? After all, building a recruitment strategy around fantasy characters probably isn’t the best long-term business plan.

Ethnic Bias: The Open Secret Everyone Knows But Won’t Say

You’d think that in a country as diverse as Indonesia, hiring practice would celebrate this diversity. But alas, much like that awkward uncle who always makes questionable jokes at family gatherings, ethnic bias is ever-present, silently lurking in the background. It’s not loud or in-your-face, oh no. It’s subtle, sneaky, and almost respectful in how it sidesteps the elephant in the room.

Here’s how it works in practice: No one will outright say they’re biased—of course not!—but if you read between the lines of job postings, the message is clear. Phrases like “candidates with certain cultural values” or “seeking individuals from particular backgrounds” are corporate code for, “Please apply if you look and sound like our current team, thank you very much.” It's like an exclusive club that isn’t racist per se, but strongly prefers a particular type of member. And no, it’s not about preserving “culture” as they like to claim—it’s about preserving comfort zones.

In a country brimming with ethnic richness, you’d hope that this diversity would be reflected in office spaces. Instead, you get corporate brochures featuring carefully curated, diverse stock photos while the actual hiring happens behind closed doors, and “fitting the profile” means something a little more monochromatic.

The worst-kept secret? Behind the D&I press releases and LinkedIn posts about celebrating all ethnicities, the hiring process is quietly guided by an unspoken hierarchy. Sure, no one will come out and say, “Your name doesn’t sound like it would blend well in our corporate retreat photos,” but the message lands just the same. Points for subtlety, though! At least we can pretend it’s not blatant.

Why Meritocracy in Indonesian Hiring is Basically a Myth

The dream of meritocracy—the underdog triumphing through sheer talent and hard work, rising to the top like a phoenix from the ashes of LinkedIn endorsements. In Indonesia, well, sure, we all talk about it, and some even swear they’ve seen it in action. But let’s be real—no one’s got the evidence, and those who claim otherwise are politely escorted to the nearest HR office for a "friendly chat."

In theory, meritocracy would work wonders. Just imagine if candidates were hired based on their qualifications, skills, and potential. Crazy idea, right? But why bother with all that when you can just hire your cousin’s best friend who, while lacking any real job experience, absolutely crushed it at last weekend’s karaoke session?

Even in companies that try to promote meritocracy, bias creeps in. It’s not even subtle. Maybe it’s subconscious—like choosing someone who reminds you of yourself—or maybe it’s just easier to hire someone who won’t ruffle any feathers. Either way, the fantasy of meritocracy is something we nod at politely while swiftly dodging its inconvenient truths.

Let’s face it, in the Indonesian job market, “merit” isn’t measured by your degrees or experience but by how well you “fit in.” And by “fit in,” of course, we mean how closely you align with the unspoken codes of the office—whether that’s looking like the rest of the team or knowing the right people to invite to your cousin’s wedding. So sure, meritocracy exists. Right next to unicorns and fairies.

So, is Indonesia truly one of the most biased recruitment markets in the world? Well, that depends on your definition of “bias.” If your idea of bias includes jobs going to underqualified pals, self-proclaimed headhunters treating recruitment like an elaborate game of cosplay, and a good old-fashioned dose of ethnic profiling lurking just beneath the surface, then yes—Indonesia is absolutely crushing it.

But let’s not be too quick to judge. Perhaps this cocktail of cronyism and confusion is what gives the Indonesian job market its, let’s say, unique flavor. I mean, who really wants a dull, transparent, merit-based hiring process when you can have a beautifully chaotic system fueled by nepotism and whispers? Life’s more fun when you’re left wondering whether attending more social events could’ve been your ticket to a corner office, right?

At the end of the day, Indonesian companies aren’t just hiring employees—they’re curating a special blend of unpredictability that keeps everyone guessing. So, here’s to the hiring process that never ceases to amaze, confuse, and make you question your LinkedIn profile choices. It’s not broken, it’s just spicy.