BP3MI Records High Enthusiasm at Job Fair for Overseas Employment
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP3MI) for DKI Jakarta recorded high public enthusiasm for overseas job opportunities, especially in Japan, during a job fair at the Tanjung Duren Sports Hall.
Expert Junior Employment Officer at BP3MI DKI Jakarta, Fida, noted that the strong interest was evident from the number of people consulting at the BP3MI booth, even though most initially lacked basic information about overseas placement schemes.
“Today, many are interested in Japan. That country is experiencing an ageing population phenomenon, where the birth rate is declining while the elderly population is increasing. This triggers a high demand for foreign workers, especially for elderly care worker positions,” Fida said during an interview on Wednesday.
According to Fida, overseas job opportunities are expanding with various safe and legal official schemes, ranging from Government-to-Government (G-to-G) programmes managed by the state, private companies, to individual placements.
Specifically for Japan, Fida added that besides care worker positions, the local government is also opening cooperation through the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa in sectors such as hospitality, agriculture, livestock, building cleaning, and food processing.
The choice to migrate abroad is seen as a concrete solution amid limited domestic employment opportunities.
This was conveyed by job seekers on the ground, such as Reza (28) and Dafa (25), two young men from Jakarta who are currently targeting job opportunities in Japan’s agricultural sector.
Dafa revealed that intense competition, a lack of transparency in the recruitment process, and inadequate wage standards are the main factors driving them to seek their fortunes abroad.
“Finding a job in Indonesia is increasingly difficult. Even applying for an internship position often requires work experience. Competition is very tight, compounded by the ‘insider’ phenomenon and salary offers that are sometimes inhumane,” Dafa said.
Echoing Dafa, Reza, who has a work background in logistics and FMCG, stated that working abroad represents a new challenge as well as an opportunity to improve their standard of living.
To achieve this target, both have made thorough preparations over three to five months by attending free Japanese language courses facilitated by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government through the South Jakarta Regional Job Training Centre.
They have now obtained the JFT A2 language proficiency certificate and are in the job matching stage while preparing to take the SSW competency exam.
Responding to this labour migration phenomenon, BP3MI DKI Jakarta reminded the public to always prioritise official channels and complete the required competencies, especially language skills.
Fida stressed that the completeness of documents and the strict bureaucracy implemented by the government are solely to provide legal protection guarantees for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI).
“The government’s presence with document requirements is not to complicate matters, but to provide protection. We ensure they have documents in accordance with laws and regulations, including a detailed employment contract that regulates rights and obligations, so that if any dispute arises later, the workers’ rights remain protected,” Fida concluded.