Govt introduces workers export quota

JAKARTA (JP): The government effective Jan. 1 will enforce a quota system on the number of persons a manpower supplier company can send as part of its scheme to phase out the sending of unskilled workers.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief told reporters that the ministerial decree regulating the quota has already been signed and approved by President Soeharto.

He said under the quota system, at least export 20 percent of the total workers sent abroad must be skilled workers.

This means that if a company pledges to send 100 skilled workers in 1995, it could send 400 unskilled workers.

In 1996, the proportion of skilled workers will be raised to 40 percent. "Eventually, only skilled workers are allowed to seek jobs overseas," he said yesterday after briefing President Soeharto about his action.

The decree sets the minimum monthly salary for each skilled worker at US$400, he said.

He called on manpower suppliers to cooperate with vocational training centers both at home and abroad to improve their recruits' skills.

Indonesia, with population of 190 million people, is a major manpower supplier to Malaysia and Middle East countries. The government has been under pressure to stop sending unskilled laborers abroad to shed its derogatory image as a "maid exporter".

Latief said that the government had taken action against delinquent manpower suppliers widely believed to have been responsible for many of labor export problems.

Of the 300 registered manpower supply companies, only about 130 currently operates, he said. "The rest have failed to re- register and many turned out to be non-existent," he added.

Of those 130 still operating, only 92 can meet the government's requirements, he said. The remaining will be given a grace period and will be dropped from the list if they fail to meet the requirements, he added. (pan)