Indonesia and Germany Discuss Expanding Migrant Worker Placements into New Sectors
The Indonesian and German governments have begun exploring the expansion of placement sectors for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) beyond healthcare, driven by high demand for skilled labour in the German job market. The discussion emerged during a meeting between Deputy Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Christina Aryani and Director General of GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) International Services, Andrea von Rauch, at the Ministry of P2MI office in Jakarta on Thursday (18/6).
“The meeting discussed strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and Germany regarding the placement of Indonesian migrant workers,” Christina said. In addition to evaluating the implementation of the Triple Win Programme, both parties also discussed opportunities for diversifying placement sectors and exploring new fields that could potentially become destinations for Indonesian workers in Germany.
Christina expressed appreciation for the partnership that has been established between Indonesia and Germany, particularly through the Triple Win Programme, which serves as a safe, legal, and ethical pathway for placing Indonesian healthcare workers in Germany. According to her, expanding placement sectors is an important step to open broader opportunities for PMI who possess skills that match the needs of the international labour market. “Diversification of placement sectors is important to open more opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers who have skills and competencies that meet the needs of the international labour market, including Germany,” Christina said.
During the meeting, Christina also raised the potential for GIZ involvement in supporting the SMK Go Global Programme, a programme designed to prepare vocational education graduates with competencies suited to the needs of overseas job markets. She noted that support from international partners will play a crucial role in improving the quality of training, certification, and connectivity of graduates with the global workforce. “The involvement of various international partners is important to strengthen the quality of training, certification, and connectivity with the global workforce,” she stated.
Christina added that one of the main challenges in placing Indonesian workers in Germany is meeting the different language proficiency standards required for each profession. She explained that healthcare workers are generally required to have German language skills up to level B2, whereas other sectors such as hospitality and various service fields have relatively more flexible language requirements. Therefore, Indonesia and Germany need to continue strengthening coordination to identify sectors with the greatest prospects for development in the near term. “The meeting between the Ministry of P2MI and GIZ International Services marks an initial step in expanding the collaboration space between Indonesia and Germany in developing skilled workers, while also opening more diverse placement opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers in the future,” the Deputy Minister for P2MI concluded.