Jakarta Provincial Government and Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection/Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (KP2MI/BP2MI) signed a memorandum of agreement on the Implementation of Placement and Protection of Prospective and/or Indonesian Migrant Workers from DKI Jakarta Province.

"The memorandum of agreement is a form of joint commitment,"

The memorandum was signed by Jakarta Acting Governor, Teguh Setyabudi and KP2MI Minister, Abdul Kadir Karding.

"The memorandum of agreement is a form of joint commitment as an effort to provide better protection to Indonesian migrant workers, especially those from DKI Jakarta Province," said Teguh Setyabudi at KH Abdurrahman Wahid Hall, BP2MI Office, Jalan MT Haryono, South Jakarta, Monday (1/20).

Migrant workers, he expressed, are Indonesian heroes who have contributed to the national economy. Based on data, the position of Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves in December 2024 was recorded at 155.7 billion US dollars.

"Indonesian migrant workers contribute 13.98 billion US dollars in foreign exchange or around eight percent per year," he said.

He stated that migrant workers also face various challenges, including the risk of human trafficking, violation of rights, and exploitation. It was recorded that the placement of migrant workers from Jakarta until November 2022 was 735 people and the complaints reached 149 cases. Therefore, it becomes a shared responsibilities to ensure optimal protection from the placement to after duty.

"We need to ensure every Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI), especially from Jakarta, to obtain their rights according to applicable regulations. Jakarta Provincial Government together with KP2MI will make sure every candidate and worker get information, education, empowerment, training, and comprehensive legal protection in accordance with Law (UU) No. 18/2017," he explained.

He hoped the signing of this memorandum of agreement could increase more competent, globally competitive migrant workers while strengthening Indonesia's position in the international labor market.

"This program is also expected to be a solution to the limited employment challenge in Jakarta, in line with government's efforts to overcome the increasing unemployment rate due to the increase in graduation rates every year. Hopefully this collaboration will be a good start for worker protection and welfare improvement," he conveyed.

Meanwhile, P2MI Minister, Abdul Kadir Karding added, the signing of this memorandum was done to provide protection for Indonesian migrant workers, including governance.

"In the future, we are targeting to collaborate with many parties, especially to improve human resources quality, both by training their skills and language," he mentioned.