On paper, the Indonesian corporate landscape looks surprisingly tranquil. Local business reports indicate a massive 71% of employers are experiencing a comfortable turnover rate of under 5%. Yet hidden beneath this false sense of tranquility is a deep rift that is currently causing sleepless nights for human resource directors. An astounding 63% of local workers have confessed that they are covertly plotting their escape once the right offer comes through.
It is this invisible tide of “job hugging,” where individuals stay in their positions for reasons of stability alone, and not passion, that makes head hunting Indonesia an exercise requiring a far more delicate approach in 2019. The conventional way of recruiting will simply not do the trick when it comes to these risk-averse and reticent individuals who are not actively browsing through job sites or responding to impersonal cold calls.
To break through this barrier, progressive search firms are focusing heavily on:
1) Hyper-Personalized Value Propositions: Customizing the outreach to show exact mid-to-long term career trajectories.
2) Psychological Safety Appraisals: Assuring risk-averse candidates that the new organizational culture is stable.
3) Transparent Growth Models: Addressing the fact that 2026 candidates expect salary increases between 20% to 40% when making a lateral move.
In essence, the filling of an executive position can no longer be approached as if it were any other procurement activity. In order for firms to survive the coming storm of mid-career departures, they have to begin looking at recruiting as a strategic process of leadership development. By working together with local professionals that really know the cultural nuances of the Jakarta market, you will beat your competition to the best talent.





