Russia Exploring Labour Cooperation Opportunities with Indonesia

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sergey Tolchenov, has stated that his country is exploring opportunities for cooperation on labour supply with Indonesia. Speaking at a press briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday, Tolchenov said the issue first appeared on the bilateral agenda between Russia and Indonesia last year. He noted that the exploration is not only related to labour mobility or migration, but also to the real needs arising from population ageing occurring in many countries, including Russia, which requires a larger workforce. “We started with our neighbouring countries in Central Asia and those closer to our borders. Now some companies are looking to Southeast Asia, including Indonesia,” he said, adding that this is only the initial stage of exploration. According to Tolchenov, contact has already been made with Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI), and several companies operating in Indonesia that could supply workers to Russia. Nevertheless, Tolchenov acknowledged that the Indonesian government focuses on protecting the rights of migrant workers, and affirmed that Russia wants everything to be legally guaranteed and transparent. “Perhaps more bilateral intergovernmental agreements are needed in this field, maybe some inter-company agreements. However, I believe this could become one of the very promising future topics in our bilateral relations,” he said. On the same occasion, Russian Ambassador to ASEAN Evgeny Zagaynov noted that although the number of migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries in Russia is relatively small, their rights and interests still need attention and adequate protection. He said ASEAN’s comprehensive action plan provides for cooperation in this area, including cooperation in skills development and certification for migrant workers, competency recognition, and alignment of policies and governance on labour migration. He added that the Vientiane Declaration serves as an important reference for cooperation over the next five years. Although there is no specific mechanism between ASEAN and Russia yet, the matter can still be discussed through available frameworks.