Minister Of P2MI: Migrant Workers Bring Foreign Exchange IDR 227 Trillion Per Year

Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Minister (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding said Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) generate foreign exchange of around Rp227 trillion per year.

"The second largest after oil and gas, one of which is migrant workers. Actually, if this is managed properly, it will be a solver in the unemployment problem," said Abdul Kadir Karding ANTARA, Friday, November 22.

According to him, unemployment continues to increase, so that one solution is in addition to strengthening and creating as many jobs as possible in Indonesia, as well as sending workers abroad.

"It's actually a big opportunity, working abroad, the income is much greater than in Indonesia," he said.

He gave an example, high school/vocational school graduates in Korea can earn Rp. 18 million-Rp. 23 million in various sectors, if nurses in Europe are above Rp. 20 million. In Canada with a special certificate it can be Rp. 59 million-Rp. 80 million.

"So, the opportunity is very wide open, the problem is what if the child leaves it feels like, the condition is that it's easy for the language to just add skills. The language is much better prepared from the start," he also said.

He said why there were so many incidents of unfair treatment of Indonesian workers abroad, because they did not go according to procedural or illegal procedures.

"Those registered according to BI are nearly 5 million Indonesian workers outside, but many activists say they are far more unregistered. Most of them are not registered in Arab, Malaysian, and parts in Hong Kong and Taiwan," he said.

He conveyed that the Ministry of P2MI is tasked with reducing people who go to work abroad without skills.

"We prepare the training, we open training in all places according to the request for job orders from abroad, destination countries," he said.