Indonesian actor’s LinkedIn ‘Open to Work’ badge ignites debate over unemployment

Indonesians have questioned whether a professional feature should be used by actors for what appears to be a marketing strategy

Prilly Latuconsina at the 'Andragogy' premiere during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (Getty Images)

Actor Prilly Latuconsina apologised after a LinkedIn marketing stunt drew backlash from young Indonesians struggling to find jobs.

Latuconsina, 29, used the “Open to Work” badge on the employment-focused social networking platform on 26 January, with a message that said she wanted to gain some experience outside the the entertainment industry in an “offline sales” role.

“I’m activating the hashtag #OpenToWork badge not because I'm lacking activities, but because I want to learn something new,” she wrote in Indonesian, according to an online translation.

“All this time, I've been heavily involved in the film industry and business management. Now I'm curious to challenge myself in a different space, like offline sales experience. Meeting people face-to-face, chatting, understanding their needs, and learning how a product is truly received and felt directly by consumers.”

The LinkedIn badge is used by job seekers as a professional signal to recruiters and peers that they are actively looking for new roles.

Within hours, her post received more than 30,000 reactions and job offers. According to Indonesian outlet Detik, Latuconsina said on Instagram that the reactions were “nerve wracking” and she had begun responding to employment offers she had received.

She shared that she would be collaborating with an environmental care community, as it was in line with her personal interests, but she had also received an offer from a media company to do a part-time stint as a reporter.

“Then I will try riding the KRL during rush hour to feel what it's like to be an office worker,” she said, referring to the commuter rail system that runs through capital Jakarta. “I don’t want to be careless. Even though this is a part-time job, I want to take full responsibility for the trust given.”

However, it was revealed that this was likely a marketing stunt; Campaign Indonesia reported that of all the offers Latuconsina received, she responded to a social media post from toothpaste brand Sensodyne and stated that she would work as an offline sales representative at Sensodyne Lab in the Summarecon Mall Bekasi.

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Latuconsina and Sensodyne for comment.

Immediately after, Latuconsina’s post began to get backlash from Indonesian jobseekers, who questioned whether a professional feature used by jobseekers for genuine purposes should be used by actors for what appears to be a marketing strategy.

“For people who use it genuinely, it represents financial pressure, the stress of sending out dozens of applications into the void, the quiet humiliation of being overlooked. It’s not a fun branding exercise. When someone with Prilly's level of financial security and existing employment contract uses that badge as a campaign hook, it turns a survival tool into a prop,” one user wrote on LinkedIn.

The anger against Latuconsina’s post appears to stem from Indonesia’s current employment challenges.

According to official data from Indonesia’s official agency of statistics, Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS), approximately 7.35 million Indonesians were unemployed as of November 2025, down slightly from 7.46 million in August, but still significant in a workforce of about 155 million people.

The national unemployment rate stood at 4.74 per cent in November 2025, which indicated that nearly five people out of every 100 in the labour force were actively seeking work.

A BPS survey released in 2025 also showed that around 59.4 per cent of workers were employed in informal sectors.

Last year, violent protests swept across the country after it was revealed that members of the House of Representatives received a monthly housing allowance, in addition to their salaries. The allowance, nearly 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage, was seen not only excessive but also insensitive at a time when most people are grappling with soaring living costs and taxes and rising unemployment.

“If you see many brands and companies commenting and offering jobs, it means that actually finding a job isn’t that hard – as long as you have 27 million followers and you’re a public figure,” another wrote on Latuconsina’s Instagram.

Prilly Latuconsina issued an apology in February, saying she understood why people were ‘angry, disappointed, or uncomfortable’ with her post (Getty Images)

Twenty-two year old Ebi, who graduated in August 2025 and has been interning at a human rights non-governmental organisation, told The Straits Times that she had sent out more than 100 job applications and was yet to be hired.

“Honestly, I was angry; I even ranted about it on Twitter. The campaign was really insensitive,” she said.

The collaboration with Sensodyne appears to have been cancelled after the online reaction to Latuconsina’s post.

Latuconsina issued an apology in February on social media, saying she understood why people were “angry, disappointed, or uncomfortable,” according to a translated report by VOI.

“I am aware that my position and my life experience are not the same as everyone else, and I understand why this can hurt some people,” she said.