Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Minister of Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI), Abdul Kadir Karding, revealed that the number of registered Indonesian migrant workers abroad has exceeded 5.2 million, nearing 5.3 million.
However, data from the World Bank in 2017 estimated that approximately 4.3 million Indonesian workers were unregistered or had left the country illegally.
“In 2017, the World Bank recorded around 4.3 million unregistered or illegal departures,” Karding stated on Friday (March 14), as reported by CNN Indonesia.
Responding to the World Bank data, Karding highlighted that an estimated 500,000 Indonesian migrant workers had recently traveled to the Middle East without following official procedures. “Our assumption is that those who bypass legal channels, including those without work visas, total around 500,000,” he said.
Bilateral Agreement with Saudi Arabia
To address this issue, the Indonesian government plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 20, 2025, regarding the deployment of migrant workers to Saudi Arabia. “The MoU signing will take place on March 20, 2025,” Karding stated.
As part of the agreement, Indonesia has urged Saudi Arabia to reject unauthorized migrant workers following the lifting of a work moratorium between the two nations. “With this agreement, we are pushing for Saudi Arabia’s commitment to not accommodate illegal Indonesian workers,” he added.
Under the new arrangement, Indonesia plans to send 600,000 workers to Saudi Arabia, with 60 percent employed in domestic sectors and 40 percent in formal sectors. The deployment will be regulated through a bilateral agreement ensuring that all Indonesian workers have officially recognized data integration between both governments.
“With this integrated data system, previously unregistered workers will now be officially documented,” Karding explained.
Migrant Worker Protection and Economic Impact
Karding also emphasized that the vast majority of abuse cases involving Indonesian migrant workers occur among those who leave without proper documentation. “Ninety-five percent of violence and other issues affect unregistered or irregular workers,” he noted.
Despite these challenges, Karding acknowledged the significant economic contributions of migrant workers, particularly through remittances.
In 2024, Indonesia recorded Rp251 trillion ($16 billion) in remittances from overseas workers. However, with foreign labor demand reaching 1.7 million job orders, Indonesia was only able to fulfill 297,000 positions.
“Next year, we are targeting 425,000 deployments, with an estimated remittance increase to around Rp439 trillion ($28 billion),” he said.
Read Also:
Immigration Arrest 520 Foreign Nationals for Illegally Work and Operate Businesses in Bali
Karding added that boosting the number of legally deployed workers could contribute to national economic growth. “Indirectly, this helps economic growth. Assuming 1 percent employment absorption translates to 800,000 jobs, it would contribute 0.61 percent to GDP growth and reduce unemployment by around 6.1 percent,” he explained.
Private Sector Involvement in Workforce Training
To enhance migrant worker readiness, Karding urged Indonesian businesses, particularly those under Kadin, to invest in worker training and certification programs. He believes that private sector involvement in human resource development will make Indonesian workers more competitive abroad.
“We still have 1.3 million unfilled job orders. Meanwhile, we are facing unemployment and mass layoffs. This is an opportunity for Kadin to seriously engage in workforce development,” he said.
By strengthening partnerships between the government and private sector, Indonesia aims to better regulate its migrant workforce while maximizing economic benefits from overseas employment.
(Raidi/Agung)
