Indonesia aims to expand skilled migrant worker placement in Kuwait
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) is targeting the expansion of placement opportunities for skilled migrant workers in Kuwait through the renewal of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labour cooperation between the two nations.
Discussions regarding the renewal of this cooperation emerged when the Minister for P2MI, Mukhtarudin, received a courtesy visit from the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Indonesia, Khalid Jassim Alyassin, in Jakarta on Monday.
“In Kuwait, we believe there are still significant opportunities that can be expanded through cooperation. We have a large human resource pool and are continuously increasing the number of skilled workers in formal sectors required by Kuwait,” said Mukhtarudin in a written statement from KP2MI.
Minister Mukhtarudin explained that Kuwait is a friendly nation with substantial labour market potential for Indonesian migrant workers, particularly in formal sectors that require specific qualifications and competencies.
This step to enhance workforce competence, according to Mukhtarudin, aligns with the directives of President Prabowo Subianto to strengthen protection while simultaneously improving the quality of Indonesian migrant worker placements abroad.
“Moving forward, our migrant workers must possess competencies that meet demand, good language proficiency, as well as the right mentality, discipline, and a hard-working ethos,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Ambassador Khalid Jassim Alyassin revealed that there are currently approximately 6,200 Indonesian workers active in Kuwait. This figure is considered relatively small compared to the potential that can be developed.
Indonesian migrant workers in Kuwait operate in various strategic sectors, including healthcare professionals such as nurses, the hospitality industry, sales, and the petroleum industry.
Khalid praised the work ethic of Indonesian workers, noting they are resilient, disciplined, law-abiding, and integrate easily with the local community. On this basis, the Kuwaiti government has officially requested an increase in the number of Indonesian workers in their country.
“Indonesian workers in Kuwait are very resilient, disciplined, and follow the rules. Therefore, we are requesting to be able to increase the number of Indonesian workers in Kuwait,” said Khalid.
Regarding regulatory updates, Khalid stated that the Kuwaiti Public Authority for Manpower is ready to cooperate with KP2MI to review and adjust the labour MoU, which has been in place since May 1996.
Follow-up meetings to discuss the strengthening and amendment of the draft agreement are planned to be held in Indonesia, Kuwait, or virtually.
Based on data from the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Information System (SIP2MI) as of 20 September 2024, there are 292,471 active overseas job vacancies recorded, with 216,236 of them (73.93 per cent) still unfilled.
The Indonesian government emphasised that the expansion of overseas labour markets will always be balanced with guarantees of protection and the fulfilment of basic rights for migrant workers during their service in destination countries.