"Most of the new migrants coming to Jakarta lack skills and a good education."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - High urbanization can lead to an increase in the crime rate of big cities like Jakarta, sociologist Musni Umar of the National University said on Wednesday.

"The crime rate might increase because of migrants, who will do anything to survive in a city like Jakarta. To do that, they can commit crimes such as pick pocketing and robbing," Umar said.

He added that while the number of migrants coming to the city keeps increasing, the job opportunities available for them remain the same, which can lead to an extreme competition for work opportunities.

The sociologist also pointed out that new migrants coming to Jakarta should possess work skills and a good education, or they will be rendered jobless and create social unrest.

"Most of the new migrants coming to Jakarta lack skills and a good education," Umar added.

However, this stiff competition for jobs benefits employers, who can easily fire disobedient workers who demand a reasonable pay.

"Employers can easily sack their workers and replace them with new ones," he said.

As Jakarta remains an attractive destination for migrants hailing from rural areas, who are looking to improve the quality of their life, the city's population is expected to rise considerably with the advent of new migrants.

Umar also pointed out that living in Jakarta is also made desirable by the obvious prosperity of the city's residents, which is on ample display for relatives and families living in rural areas, when people living in Jakarta visit their home towns.

"Residents of rural areas also want to look similarly prosperous when they visit their hometowns from Jakarta. Thus, migrating to big cities like Jakarta becomes their main target," he said.
(Uu.A014/INE/KR-BSR/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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