Hiring guide for Jakarta expats: Salary and Benefits

Minimum wage as reference

In Jakarta, the minimum wage was set at Rp 4,64 million/month in 2022, which provides a reference point as to what any worker should at least be paid. 

Standard salary rates for “expat” workers

Here, we refer to “expat” workers as those who have previously worked for expat families in Jakarta. They can usually speak some English and ability to quickly adapt to the spcific needs of foreign employers. Their salary expectations are as follows:

• Nannies who have worked for expat families, can speak intermediate English and provide recommendation letters will generally expect IDR4,500,000 to IDR6,000,000/month for live out roles, or IDR5,000,000 to IDR6,500,000/month for live in roles.
  
• Cooks who can do groceries, plan meals and independently cook various types of cuisines will generally expect IDR4,500,000 to IDR6,000,000/month for live out roles, or slightly more for live in roles.
• Housekeepers who have experience and recommendation from expat families IDR4,000,000 to IDR5,000,000/month.

If English is not a requirement, and that you are opened to teaching and closely supervising your household staff, lower salaries may attract suitable candidates. 

Ultimately, it can be a challenge to align what is fair with what we feel we can afford. However, it’s important to remember that by offering the highest wage we can, not only are we showing how much we value our employee’s work, we are also ensuring the best support for our families. Staff turnover is very common and this is partly because workers are not used to speaking up for themselves. Many would rather resign (or say they need to go back to their hometown to take care of a relative) than ask for a small raise.

Other benefits

Normally, an employee will receive a raise periodically, typically once a year. This provides incentive and reward for service.

You will also be expected to provide an annual bonus, usually at Idul Fitri (or possibly at another time of the year depending on the employee’s religion). For staff members who have worked for a year or longer, the annual bonus equals one month’s base salary. For workers who have been employed for less than a year, the bonus is usually pro-rated.

Remember to plan for potential overtime hours. Hourly rates usually fall between:

• Rp25,000 to Rp40,000/hour on weekdays
• Rp30,000 to 50,000/hour on weekends.

Learn more about the what you’ll need to agree on when hiring household staff, and what questions you should ask during the interview.