'RI not competitive in formal sectors'<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara<\/p>\n
Indonesia is not ready to compete with workers from Malaysia,
\nSingapore, the Philippines and Thailand in the formal labor
\nsector in the region, according to government officials.<\/p>\n
They said that Indonesian workers could only compete in the
\ninformal sector like working as domestic helpers or in the low-
\npaid sectors such as in construction or plantation sectors.<\/p>\n
The director of competence certification and standardization
\nat the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Widodo Prayitno,
\nsaid Indonesian workers were capable of competing in the informal
\nsector because 72 percent of the 80 million workforce in this
\nsector were elementary and high school graduates or dropouts.<\/p>\n
"Our workers have been able to compete with foreign workers in
\nother ASEAN countries only in the informal sector," he said on
\nthe sidelines of the three-day ASEAN senior labor officials
\nmeeting here on Monday.<\/p>\n
"Eighty percent of Indonesian workers working in Malaysia and
\nSingapore are employed as domestic helpers, machine operators,
\ngolf course caddies or shop attendants. They are given the jobs
\nbecause local workers won't to do such jobs," he added.<\/p>\n
Edison Situmorang, chairman of the Indonesian delegation to
\nthe meeting here, shared the same view and said Indonesian
\nprofessionals could also compete in Singapore and Malaysia,
\nespecially because Indonesians would accept lower pay.<\/p>\n
"We are seeking to obtain low- and middle-level job
\nopportunities in the countries because our workers are ready to
\naccept lower pay or because their workers won't take the jobs due
\nto the low pay," he said on the sidelines of the meeting.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by senior labor officials from the 10
\nASEAN countries. The meeting precedes the ASEAN two-day labor
\nministerial meeting that will be opened by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Edison said all delegations to the senior officials meeting
\nwere formulating common competency standards for professionals
\nfrom ASEAN member countries.<\/p>\n
"We are preparing competency standards that could be jointly
\naccepted in ASEAN countries so that countries facing human
\nresources problems could take concrete measures to improve the
\nquality of their human resources," he said.<\/p>\n
Setting common standards is a necessary step toward
\nliberalizing labor markets in the ASEAN region.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN Free Trade Area has not yet touched the labor sector
\nas the free trade arrangement only covers trade in goods, thus
\nsparing Indonesia from the onslaught of professionals from
\nneighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Edison said that currently many workers from Singapore,
\nThailand, Malaysia and the Philippines had been working in the
\nexecutive level in Indonesia but their number was quite small.<\/p>\n
He remarked that entering the free trade era in workers,
\nworkers would be free to move from one country to another within
\nthe ASEAN region.<\/p>\n
Both Edison and Widodo recognized the importance of education
\nto improve the competitiveness of Indonesian workers.<\/p>\n
Widodo regretted that during the New Order era, the government
\ndid not pay serious attention to education, causing low quality
\nhuman resources.<\/p>\n
In addition, ethnic and religious conflicts in several regions
\nsuch as Aceh, Poso in Central Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua have
\ncontributed to the poor quality of the workforce from those
\nareas, he added.<\/p>\n
"The irony is that entering the reform era, we are failing
\nagain to pay attention to education," he said.<\/p>\n
As a result, professionals graduating from certain recognized
\ninstitutions could work in the neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Widodo said Singapore and Malaysia accepted
\nonly medical doctors who graduated from the University of
\nIndonesia. They consider doctors from other universities as
\nincompetent because the institutions have no adequate medical
\nfacilities for their students to get hands-on experience.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-not-competitive-in-formal-sectors-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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