In many Indonesian living rooms, a university degree is more than a certificate; it is a symbol of collective hope. From rural villages to urban centers, parents willingly liquidate precious assets or shoulder heavy debts with one goal in mind: ensuring their children secure a "golden ticket" to a stable life through higher education
However, for many recent graduates, that ticket leads instead to a "meritocratic trap."
This tragedy unfolds when high aspirations collide with a narrow labor market. When a graduate is forced into the informal sector due to the economy’s limited absorptive capacity, the narrative often becomes unfair. Because of the massive family investment involved, the struggle to find formal work is frequently viewed as a personal failure or a lack of individual grit, when the core issue is actually the availability of quality employment.
This gap is deepened by "MSME Fetishism" in public discourse. We often romanticize entrepreneurship and micro-businesses as a magic solution for educated unemployment. In reality, the dominance of micro-enterprises—where productivity is only 3% compared to large firms—is more a symptom of premature de-industrialization than a long-term solution. Without large-scale formal firms, two-thirds of our workforce remains trapped in precarious labor without contracts or adequate protections
Thus, education should not be a "sunk cost" in an uncertain and informal job market
Therefore, a paradigm shift is required. We must recognize that education does not automatically act as an elevator for social mobility if it is not supported by a healthy economic structure. This is where the state’s role becomes dynamic. The state must be able to create a broad ecosystem of formal employment and provide proper social security systems for all citizens.
Structural transformation is the key. By prioritizing the quality of jobs and robust social protections—such as unemployment benefits and pension schemes—we ensure that the significant investments families make in education truly become a bridge to the future, rather than a financial burden in a vulnerable informal economy
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