Language test not for top executives: Govt

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An Indonesian language proficiency test for foreign workers -- which is to take effect next year, and is mandatory in order to get or extend work permits here -- would exclude those at the director level, according to a minister.

The test will mostly instead be aimed at foreign workers at the managerial level or below, as well as professionals, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris told The Jakarta Post recently.

"Foreign workers with the position of president director or director are not required to pass the test since they don't usually interact intensively with other workers, and that is because they hold key positions in their company," said Fahmi.

Fahmi said the test, which would probably be imposed in the first quarter of next year, would also cover both foreign workers already working here, as well as those who were about to come to seek work.

"The mechanism for the test is still being prepared; foreigners will probably have to spend for it," he said.

The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration would soon issue a list of job category subjects for the test, which will be more or less similar to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Fahmi earlier said the test was aimed indirectly at slowing down the influx of foreign workers in the country with Indonesia intending to liberalize its labor sector under various international arrangements.

The government is to start opening its doors to job seekers from countries grouped under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, and in 2008 for those from outside ASEAN, as mandated by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"Foreign workers must master the Indonesian language before they can work here, just as Indonesians have to master English before working abroad. This is to ensure that jobs that could be carried out by Indonesians are not taken by foreigners," said Fahmi.

The language proficiency test will be carried out by the newly formed National Commission for Standardization of Professions (BNSP), which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration.

The agency will issue certificates for both domestic and foreign managerial and professional workers, as well as for medium and low-skilled workers.

The agency will create standard qualifications for foreign workers who wish to secure a job in Indonesia, while also preparing local workers to qualify for work standards overseas.

Fahmi said the agency would also work with various institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Directorate General of Immigration, and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to prepare for the test.

The ministry estimates the number of foreigners in Indonesia who are working or studying using government permits to be around 28,000, and it is expected to rise in line with the implementation of international agreements on labor liberalization.