"If residents are seeking to venture (in other cities), they should not be prohibited. They are welcome, as long as they have the appropriate skills," he said here on Tuesday.
He asked residents who are planning on moving to new cities to determine exactly where they want to go and work, and what they want to get.
"They must not expect too much because they can probably face issues and (realize) that working in their place of origin is better than in a new city," the coordinating minister said.
A decision to leave for other towns without gaining the appropriate skills first could prove disastrous, he said, adding that newcomers, instead of locals, are contributing to the high unemployment rate in industrial centers.
"The high unemployment rate in industrial centers is not caused by locals, but instead by newcomers with high expectations yet zero skills," Effendy stressed.
He emphasized that while high unemployment in industrial centers will burden the government and newcomers’ families, in principle, no one can restrict residents from seeking a new job outside their localities.
"We cannot prohibit them, yet they must understand their skills, target jobs, and success potential. They must consider it well to avoid becoming lost because (they may find that living in a new city) is not as easy or good as they thought earlier," he remarked.
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Translator: Dian Hadiyatna, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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