Sari Widyastuti, a 33-year-old middle manager at an agro-industry company in the city of Bandung in West Java, has been looking for a new job for four months. This is four times longer than it took her to find her current position.

“There’s just nothing available at the moment,” she says, asking that her real name not be used. “Every reply is the same; ‘Thank you for your interest, we’ll be in touch when an opening emerges’.”