Byline: Surabaya, September 29, 2023

When a room full of school career officers, government officials, and industry leaders gathers on a Thursday, you know something’s up. At the Regional Coordination Meeting (Rakorda) of the Special Job Placement Forum for vocational high schools (SMK) in Surabaya—held at Hotel Ibis Tidar on September 14—JobStreet Express showed up with a clear mission: help more young people land real jobs, faster.

I like to think of JobStreet Express as the matchmaker for semi‑skilled talent and employers who actually need them—especially in retail and hospitality. As part of JobStreet by SEEK, Indonesia’s leading job search tech, the team has been steadily building bridges with public and private partners. “We’ve always believed collaboration is the quickest way to opportunity,” said Woon Hann Khoo, Head of JobStreet Express, pointing to a growing network with school job centers that specialize in guiding SMK graduates into the workforce.

Here’s why that matters. Special Job Placement units (Bursa Kerja Khusus, or BKK) inside public and private SMKs act like dedicated career hubs. They gather openings, prep students, and connect them to roles that fit their training—accounting to culinary, admin to barista. They’re also closely aligned with the local Manpower Office, so the pipeline runs from classroom to company with fewer detours.

The Rakorda crowd wasn’t small. Representatives from Surabaya’s Industry and Manpower Office, East Java’s Education Office, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, the FBKK leadership, and 76 SMK BKK heads joined the conversation, alongside JobStreet Express’s go‑to‑market team. Put simply, the city and province were in the room, and so were the people who help students step into their first paychecks.

And the jobs? They’re not hypothetical. By mid‑September 2023, there were 2,575 Surabaya‑based vacancies live on JobStreet Express—from well‑known names like Apollo Gadget Store, MR. DIY, Boga Group Jawa Timur, Madame Chang Restaurant, XO Restaurant Group, and Jokopi, among others. Think cashier, admin, waiter/waitress, kitchen crew, barista—roles that reward reliability, people skills, and a can‑do attitude.

There’s also a sector‑wide push. In Surabaya, JobStreet Express is collaborating with the East Java chapter of Apkrindo—the association for café and restaurant owners—to help F&B businesses source talent in one place and move faster on hiring. For a high‑churn sector that lives and dies by service quality, that kind of funnel is a big deal.

Zoom out and the stakes are real. Surabaya’s open unemployment rate (TPT) stood at 7.62% in 2022, down from 9.68% in 2021—a good sign, but still a call to action. When platforms, schools, and government sit at the same table, the outcome is simple: more interviews, shorter hiring times, and grads who find work that actually uses their skills.

The experience for jobseekers is intentionally light: apply for multiple openings in one place—quickly, safely, and for free—via the website or the app on App Store and Google Play. It’s designed for the phones graduates already have in their pockets.

Surabaya isn’t the only focus. JobStreet Express operates in Bali, Bandung, and Yogyakarta too, with tens of thousands of partner companies and more than a dozen thousand active listings across the platform. If recent momentum is any guide, the pipeline will only get wider from here.

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About JobStreet Express

JobStreet Express connects companies with semi‑skilled workers—primarily in retail and hospitality—within the broader JobStreet ecosystem, Indonesia’s number one job search technology. Operating across Bali, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya, the platform lists 13,000+ jobs and serves a community of 250,000+ candidates. Access via Play Store / App Store (jobstreetexpress.app.link/unduhjse) or visit id.jobstreetexpress.com. Follow along on Instagram @jobstreetexpress and TikTok @jobstreetexpress.

Writer: Aditya Wardhana, AI