Loading ...Pulau Batam Sumatra Indonesia Travel
Nowhere in Sumatra is the pace of development more rapid than on Batam. With the island’s proximity to Singapore, Batam is the labour-intensive production leg of the Singapore–Johor Baru industrial triangle. Land and labour are cheaper here than in Singapore and many electronics companies have established production plants in the industrial park of Mukakuning. Much like the factory towns outside of Hong Kong, Mukakuning employs and houses mainly young women from impoverished areas of Indonesia. Hardly anyone living in Batam is a native and half the population is under 30 years old.
Higher up the economic food chain are the Western managers and executives who oversee the factories, as well as engineers employed by one of the island’s largest multinationals, J Ray McDermott, which makes offshore oil rigs and pipelines.
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