RI asked to open its labor market<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian managers, and professionals such as doctors and
\nlawyers could find themselves competing with their foreign peers
\nfor jobs here in the near future if the government surrenders to
\npressure to open the country's labor market.<\/p>\n
Arsa Suthisna, head of research and development at the
\nMinistry of Manpower and Transmigration, said at a seminar on
\nTuesday that the liberalization of the domestic labor market was
\npart of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement in Doha,
\nQatar in 2001.<\/p>\n
He said that there were some 16 nations including the U.S.,
\nJapan, Panama, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan,
\nSingapore, Norway, Hong Kong, Korea, Canada, Poland, India, China
\nand countries in the European Union who wanted to export their
\nprofessional workers and managers to Indonesia. This also means
\nthat Indonesian professionals and managers would also be allowed
\nto seek jobs in those countries.<\/p>\n
These countries are now demanding that the government revoke
\nthe Economic Need Test (ENT) ruling, a policy that enables a
\ncountry to limit or to shut doors to foreign workers.<\/p>\n
But with many of Indonesia's managers and professional workers
\nlacking in quality and skill compared to foreigners, liberalizing
\nthe labor sector could create a much greater unemployment problem
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
With this in mind, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration,
\nJacob Nuwa Wea said that Indonesia was not yet ready to fully
\nliberalize its labor sector.<\/p>\n
He said that a special task force had been sent to Geneva to
\nrenegotiate the WTO scheme.<\/p>\n
Under the initial plan, the liberalization of the labor market
\nis scheduled to begin this March, but the WTO scheme allows
\nIndonesia to delay in until 2005 if the above 16 nations agree to
\nit.<\/p>\n
Indonesia would be branded as an uncooperative nation if it
\ndeclines to apply the WTO agreement. This has serious economic
\nconsequences.<\/p>\n
\"We have asked for a postponement, as we are not ready yet to
\nliberalize our labor sector. We still need time to enhance the
\nquality of our workers,\" said Jacob in the seminar.<\/p>\n
He said that most of the country's professionals had no
\ninternational certificates yet.<\/p>\n
He feared that opening the doors for foreign professionals
\nwould worsen the country's unemployment problem.<\/p>\n
Based on the current data from the ministry, 59 percent of the
\ncountry's labor force has only an elementary school education,
\nand only 5 percent graduated from high school or universities.<\/p>\n
The recent unemployment figure from National Statistics Agency
\n(BPS) shows that the country's full unemployment reached 8.1
\nmillion, while half unemployment is some 36 million.<\/p>\n
The country has a total labor force of 97.6 million from the
\ntotal population of 210 million.<\/p>\n
Coordinator of the Indonesian lobby team for labor
\nliberalization at the WTO forum, Adolf Warrouw, said that the 16
\ncountries had proposed managerial level jobs in several sectors
\nsuch as energy, mining, financial, tourism and
\ntelecommunications, and several in professional sectors such as
\nmedical, law, accounting and engineering.<\/p>\n
Adolf further said that thus far, the government was
\nconsidering whether to agree on opening the labor market in the
\nshipping and construction sectors since many Indonesian workers
\nin these areas have already gained international certificates.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-asked-to-open-its-labor-market-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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