Government Strengthens Migrant Workers To Build National IKM Integration

Illustration of a number of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in the Riau Islands, Thursday (21/5/2020). (Between/M N Kanwa)

JAKARTA The government has firmly placed industrial migrant workers as an integral part of the strength of the national economy. This commitment is confirmed through strategic cooperation between the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) and the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI/BP2MI).

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated that migrant workers carry crucial international skills, experiences, and networks to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic industries.

Astacita: Not Just Documents, But The Dignity Of Industry

In an effort to strengthen protection and empowerment, the Ministry of Industry and KP2MI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering five main scopes: capacity building, job promotion, placement facilitation, protection and empowerment, to policy data exchange.

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang emphasized that this collaboration is in line with the spirit of Astacita, which is the direction of national development, especially in strengthening Human Resources (HR) and creating quality employment opportunities.

"This Memorandum of Understanding is not just an administrative document, but a tangible manifestation of Astacita's spirit in building superior Indonesian industrial people, global competitiveness, and dignifiedly protected," said the Minister of Industry, quoted from ANTARA, Thursday, October 9, 2025.

This collaboration directly contributes to Astacita through, creating productive and entrepreneurial jobs, improving the quality of human resources and national development, accelerating downstreaming of industry and economic equity through people-based industrialization.

Reintegration: Migrant Skills Strengthen Local IKM

For migrant workers who will return to their homeland, this collaboration will also open up opportunities for economic reintegration. They can develop Small and Medium Industries (IKM), cooperatives, and entrepreneurs based on local industries.

With this scheme, the experience and global expertise of migrant workers can be used to directly strengthen the industrial structure in the region.

Minister of KP2MI/BP2MI Mukhtarudin welcomed this collaboration. He expressed his appreciation, calling this collaboration "providing something extraordinary" for his ministry in preparing generations who will fill job opportunities abroad.

As a follow-up to the MoU, the Ministry of Industry's Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMI) and KP2MI have signed a Cooperation Agreement (PKS) between the Ministry of Industry's Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMI) and KP2MI. This PKS focuses on mapping needs, the potential availability of industry vocational graduates, as well as the development of education and vocational training according to global job opportunities.

Head of BPSDMI Masrokhan stated that his party is ready to collaborate by preparing competent industrial human resources according to global market demands. Cooperation in capacity building through the Industrial Education and Training Center (BDI) in Medan, Denpasar, and Surabaya, is claimed to have been running before.