Looking at the list of features included in Essentials Starter, that seems about right--see https://support.google.com/a/answer/7681288#GSEfeatures for the list of what's included with that service offering.
But on their page when signing up it says google chat is included.
As you can see in the image, I don't have access to google chat.
Hi, I know I am years late lol. I have Google Workspace Essentials Starter and Google Chat & Google Meet are included. Do still need help? It looks like you have Cloud Identity instead of Essentials Starter. (Google Groups shows up in your screenshot and the business version isn't available to Essentials Starter.)