Hiring guide for Jakarta expats: Salary and Benefits

Minimum wage as reference

In Jakarta, the minimum wage was set at Rp 4,267,439/month in January 2020. This provides a good 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 tend to have higher salaries than those who do not have such experience. English is overall quite rare among but also have developed hard and soft skills that allow them to adapt quickly to foreign employers. 

Here are the salary ranges they usually expect:

• 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.
• Cooks who can do groceries, plan meals and independently cook various types of cuisines will generally expect IDR4,500,000 to IDR5,500,000/month.
• Housekeepers who have experience and recommendation from expat families IDR4,000,000 to IDR4,500,000/month.

The above figured are for reference only but we recommend sticking to them to hire experienced professionals that are quickly able to adapt to any family. However, if English is not a requirement, or you are opened to teaching and closely supervising your household staff, you may consider offering lower salaries. 

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 “kampung” for a family emergency) 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 a Tunjungan Hari Raya (THR) 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 THR equals one month’s base salary. If staff have worked for less than a year, the THR 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.