Kebiasaan Job-Hopping Generasi Z sebagai Tantangan Perlindungan Hukum dalam Hubungan Kerja berdasarkan Hukum Ketenagakerjaan Indonesia

Abstract

The increasingly prevalent phenomenon of job-hopping among Generation Z has introduced new dynamics into employment relationships in Indonesia. The characteristics of Generation Z, which tend to prioritize flexibility, self-development, work–life balance, and a work environment aligned with personal values, have contributed to a high level of labor mobility within relatively short periods. This condition has implications for the declining stability of employment relationships, the increased use of fixed-term employment agreements, and the emergence of legal uncertainty in the implementation of employment contracts. From a labor law perspective, the practice of job-hopping constitutes not only a sociological issue but also raises juridical challenges concerning the provision of balanced legal protection for both employees and employers. This study aims to analyze how the high prevalence of job-hopping among Generation Z affects the stability of employment relationships and generates uncertainty in the execution of employment contracts, as well as to examine how labor law norms regulate and ensure balanced legal protection for employers and employees in response to this phenomenon. This research employs a normative juridical method with a statute approach, conceptual approach, and analytical approach. The findings indicate that Indonesian labor regulations, in principle, have incorporated the doctrines of legal certainty and the balance of interests between the parties; however, they have not yet been fully responsive to the dynamic work patterns of Generation Z. Accordingly, adaptive interpretation and the strengthening of labor policies are required to ensure that labor flexibility can coexist with legal protection and the sustainability of fair industrial relations.