Migration destinations in Indonesia have changed over the last decade. Major cities, such as Jakarta, are no longer the main migration destinations. Most migrants have shifted to buffer zones.
Hundreds of passengers at Pasar Senen Station, Jakarta, Sunday (30/4/2023). Some of them are new residents trying to try their luck in the capital city. As of now, major cities, such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan, are no longer the main destinations for migrants, rather the buffer zones around these cities.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Travelers returning from mudik (exodus) to celebrate Idul Fitri is one form of migration. Migration, or the permanent change of residence, in Indonesia is dynamic and has shifted to urban buffer zones.
As of now, major cities, such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan, are no longer the main destinations for migrants, rather the buffer zones around these cities.
This is based on the results of an analysis by Litbang Kompas, the research arm of Kompas daily, which looked at population migration data in 514 districts/cities. The data was obtained from the National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) for the 2013-2021 period and compared against answers to questions about one’s current residence and residence five years ago. It was found that major cities are no longer the main destinations for migrants. Migrants have instead chosen buffer zones that have been developed, making them similar to big cities.
“Satellite cities [buffer zones] are developing as migration destinations because they are relatively close and there are increasingly reliable urban and transportation services,” said Budi Situmorang, a ministerial expert staff for area development at the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) in Jakarta on Friday (28/4/2023).
Susenas data
Population migration to buffer zones can be viewed through processed data from Susenas. Based on Susenas data in 2013, six areas were migration destinations, namely Bogor regency, Tangerang regency, Bekasi regency, Bandung regency, Bekasi municipality and Depok municipality. Meanwhile, four major cities remained as priority destinations for migrants, namely East Jakarta, Surabaya municipality, Batam and West Jakarta.
Four years later in 2017, buffer zones began to shift several of these destination cities. In that year, only three major cities remained as the largest migration destinations, namely East Jakarta, West Jakarta and Surabaya municipality.
Then, in 2021, all the major cities that were previously in the top 10 migration destinations have been replaced by buffer zones around them. The new 10 areas with the highest number of migrants are Depok municipality; Bekasi municipality, Bogor, Bekasi, Bandung and Bandung municipality in West Java; Tangerang and Tangerang municipality in Banten; Sleman in Yogyakart;a and Deli Serdang in North Sumatra.
“There has been a shift in migration destinations in general. When viewed at the urban level, cities in Java are still the main destinations, but there have also been shifts to the outskirts. For example, net migration to Jakarta has been declining since the 1990s,” said Sukamdi, a geography lecturer at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and a researcher at UGM’s center for population and policy studies.
A number of factors have led migrants to choose buffer zones, such as Bekasi municipality, as a destination. “Apart from the development trend towards the east, these industries are also attractive and housing is still affordable,” said Taufiq R. Hidayar, head of the Bekasi population and civil registration agency.
ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA
Homecomers line up before entering the ferry at Bakauheni Harbor, Lampung, Tuesday (25/4/2023). Based on data from the Bakauheni Post for the period 24-25 April 2023 at 08.00, a total of 88,758 people had crossed from Bakauheni Port to Merak Port.
Buffer zones
The increasing flow of migration to these buffer zones is also related to the process of regional agglomeration, which continues to blur regional boundaries. An agglomeration contains areas that are related to one another despite being under a separate administration.
An agglomeration can also be defined as a regional unit consisting of several city centers and districts that are connected to each other. For example, the Greater Jakarta agglomeration places the capital city Jakarta as the main city and is supported by its satellite cities, namely Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.
Apart from Greater Jakarta, there is also the Medindingro area in North Sumatra, which places Medan as its main city and has Binjai, Deli Serdang and Karo regencies as its supporting regions. In East Java, there is also the Gerbangkertosusila area, with Surabaya municipality as its main city and its buffer zones Gresik, Bangkalan, Mojokerto and Mojokerto municipality. In West Java, there is Greater Bandung with Bandung municipality as its main city and the supporting areas of Bandung and West Bandung regencies and Cimahi.
Wiwandari Handayani, who heads the urban regional planning department at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, said agglomerations had allowed several buffer zones to benefit from the developments of their region. However, this must also be managed well by the local administration.
“These migration destinations must consider carrying capacity and the carrying capacity of the environment, in terms of land, water and energy,” said Wiwandari.
It is important to make preparations for carrying capacity, especially in agglomerations where there are quite large interregional migration flows. For example, the satellite cities Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi accommodated the flow of 69,000 people leaving Jakarta in 2021.
These migration destinations must consider carrying capacity and the carrying capacity of the environment.
Anticipating regions
Increasing migration flows can serve as a great opportunity to encourage regional development. Muhammad Cholifihani, population and social security director at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), said 62.49 percent of the population who migrated were of working age. This can potentially benefit migration destinations, especially in boosting the regional economy.
However, massive migration flows can also burden the carrying capacity and the environmental carrying capacity. This results in slum settlements, air pollution, environmental pollution and social conflict between communities.
By understanding the consequences of migration, local administrations must prepare policies that can overcome these negative impacts. It is hoped that this destination shift in migration from major cities, such as Jakarta, to its buffer zones will not have a negative impact on the region. (Litbang Kompas)
