Government Considers Option of Moratorium on Migrant Workers
Minister of Migrant Worker Protection Indonesia (P2MI), Mukhtarudin, has opened the possibility of implementing a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to areas currently in conflict. The government is considering this decision as a precaution against the escalation of the Middle East conflict between Israel and the United States with Iran.
“We are preparing alternative policies related to a temporary suspension or ban on placement in countries that become conflict zones,” said Mukhtarudin during a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.
According to him, the P2MI directorate has formed a crisis monitoring team that coordinates with government representatives in conflict areas, particularly those in Iran or bordering Iran. Every day, they report conditions in the Middle East, such as in Oman, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and others.
Mukhtarudin explained that the Ministry of P2MI has conducted mitigation through identification and mapping of areas to determine which regions are at risk of being affected by conflict when placing workers. Areas deemed highly vulnerable to conflict will be avoided for placement locations as a form of cooling down the situation.
Regarding the suspension of worker dispatch, he admitted that the decision would be further discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commission IX of the DPR as the ministry’s working partners. “If the situation demands it, we will implement alternative policies, of course after consulting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and certainly with the gentlemen and ladies in Commission IX,” he stated.
Furthermore, Mukhtarudin conveyed that the government is also preparing repatriation services and facilities for Indonesian migrant workers if tensions in the Middle East rise again. The government also claims to provide psychological counselling services for workers whose mental health is affected by the conflict. These consultation services can be accessed online.
“Physically not yet affected, but traumatically and psychologically, they feel it because they hear bombs and missiles in their areas,” said Mukhtarudin.
The Ministry of P2MI records that there are still 20,000 migrant workers working in the Middle East region. Around 4,000 workers are placed on the borders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, and 16,000 people are on the borders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.