University-educated migrant workers have potential to boost Indonesia's remittances

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection (KP2MI) assesses that the involvement of expert workers who are university graduates could significantly enhance the potential for remittances to the country.

Director General of Promotion and Utilisation of Overseas Employment Opportunities at KP2MI, Dwi Setiawan Susanto, during a Career Development Centre (CDC) strengthening event in Jakarta on Wednesday, noted that there is currently a shift in the trend of demand for Indonesian migrant workers, moving from traditional sectors to skilled worker sectors, one of which is experts in welding or welders.

“Welders have very high rewards, averaging Rp100 million (per month), and even reaching Rp200 million in countries like Canada. So, it seems we also need to identify job positions that combine engineering degrees or S1 or S2 degrees in various fields with certified skills,” he said.

Dwi emphasised that collaboration with universities is a strategic step to match global industry needs with a supply of quality workers who have degree qualifications as well as certified expertise.

With the opening of economic access and the high absorption capacity for such skilled workers, KP2MI is optimistic that the future projection of foreign exchange contributions from migrant workers could exceed the income from the oil and gas sector.

The government, he continued, has a clear target for 2026, namely to place up to 500,000 skilled workers in various destination countries. In this context, the value of PMI remittances has the potential to increase if university graduates are involved as skilled workers.

“If in 2025 we reach Rp280 trillion, it is not impossible in the following years to reach Rp500 trillion, and at some point break through Rp1,000 trillion,” stated Dwi Setiawan Susanto.

Previously, the Minister of Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI), Mukhtarudin, stated that remittances in 2025 are expected to increase by 14 percent compared to 2024.

According to him, PMI remittances have a very significant benefit in driving the community economy.

“This means that people’s purchasing power increases, fostering the micro-business economic sector, and also driving family economies. So the money goes directly to the people, thus boosting purchasing power from remittances, in addition to government spending from the state and regional budgets, as well as from the investment process,” said Mukhtarudin (24/2).