A clip of an American woman reacting to the minimum wage in Indonesia went viral on social media over the weekend, sparking discussions among netizens about income in Southeast Asia’s largest country.
“Bali or just Indonesia?” the unnamed woman asked in response to TikTok content creator @stevenapriliano‘s question.
The Indonesian TikToker, who lives and works in the US as a barista, regularly posts clips about his life there.
Her first guess was US$5,000 (IDR74,920,250).
“US$2,000? US$1,000?” she continued guessing until Steven revealed the answer: US$300 (IDR4,495,545).
Steven was probably referring to Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta’s minimum wage, which stands at IDR4.9 million (US$326) per month as of 2023. The minimum wage in other cities in the country is considerably lower.
For instance, Bali’s minimum wage is IDR2.7 million (US$180).
Steven’s answer seemingly left the American speechless.
“That is insane. Can people live?” she said.
“Yeah, so far,” quipped Steven.
“And they’re okay?” she continued to ask.
“Uh, no,” Steven answered with a chuckle, and they both laughed.
Other Americans whom Steven interviewed shared similar reactions (“You’re lying!” said one guy).
A Black woman added, “Yeah, in Jamaica, too!” when Steven mentioned Indonesia’s minimum wage.
Another American mentioned that she assumed everything in Indonesia is probably much cheaper than in the US.
@stevenapriliano Berapa ya kira2 pendapatan orang di Indonesia menurut orang Amerika ? 🇲🇨🇺🇸 Jumlah penghasilan diambil dari rata2 UMR pekerja tetap / pekerja biasa di Indonesia ya #kerjadiamerika #hidupdiamerika #fyp #fypシ ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
The video circulated on other social media platforms, including Twitter, where Indonesian netizens commented on the Americans’ reactions.
One of them decided that the first American’s reaction should become a meme.
Some netizens suggested that Indonesia’s minimum wage should be IDR10 million (US$667), while others argued that increasing the minimum wage would negatively impact the economy.
Moreover, some highlighted the plight of workers who earn even less than the minimum wage.
For example, contract teachers get paid between IDR300,000 (US$20) to IDR1 million (US$66) per month.
