Jakarta. The Jakarta City Administration announced that at least 1,038 newcomers from various regions have arrived in the capital city after this year's Eid exodus, from April 16 to 22. This number is significantly lower than the projected 15,000 to 20,000 newcomers.

According to Budi Awaludin, the Head of the Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency, 78.53 percent of the newcomers have an education level below senior high school, while the remaining 21.47 percent have an education level higher than senior high school.

In terms of gender, 515 newcomers are male, and 523 are female.

The majority of newcomers originate from the Greater Jakarta area, Medan City in North Sumatra, as well as West Java and Central Java.

Regarding their occupations, the ten most common jobs among the newcomers are students, totaling 274 people, private employees 252 people, unemployed or not working 162 people, housewives 137 people, entrepreneurs 109 people, casual laborers 21 people, civil servants 15 people, teachers 10 people, military personnel 8 people, and doctors 5 people.

Previously, Budi predicted that after 2024 Eid al-Fitr, the number of newcomers to Jakarta would decrease compared to previous years.

"We predict that for this year's Eid return flow, it's about 10,000 to 15,000 newcomers entering Jakarta. Whereas last year it was in the range of 20,000 to 25,000," Budi said recently.

According to Tri Wuryaningsih, a sociologist from Soedirman University, the decline in urban migration to Jakarta is influenced by several factors, including the roles of buffer cities such as Bogor, Tangerang, Depok, and Bekasi, as well as advancements in technology and information opening up new job opportunities.

"Hence, people don't necessarily have to leave their cities to come to Jakarta. However, I believe Jakarta still retains its unique appeal because it remains a business city," she said.

According to data from Jakarta's Central Statistics Agency, the population of DKI Jakarta Province reached 10.67 million people in 2023, up from 10.64 million people in 2022.