Job opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) are projected to continue to open up. Developed countries need a lot of labor from outside because they are experiencing anaging population.
Clearly, this is an opportunity for Indonesia, which has a lot of labor, which is unable to be absorbed by the market due to the lack of jobs. However, careful planning is needed so that the opportunity to become a migrant worker has positive implications for the national economy.
Based on data from the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI), the placement of migrant workers to various countries showed a fluctuating trend during the period 2018-2023. Going forward, KP2MI projects an increase in the total placement of PMI, from 297,000 workers from 2024 to 338,000 in 2026.
This increase is supported by the high dependency rate of destination countries due to declining birth rates. This projected increase is mainly contributed by labor demand in the informal sector, which is expected to rise from 148,408 in 2024 to 193,091 in 2026, outpacing demand in the formal sector.
Overseas employment opportunities for 2025 are quite large, reaching 1,575,221 job positions. Based on KP2MI data, Taiwan is the country with the largest placement quota (1,139,486), followed by Hong Kong (149,720) and Singapore (99,464). In terms of positions, the biggest opportunities are still dominated by the domestic and health services sectors.
Caregivers lead with a quota of 570,264, followed by general workers (354,033), domestic workers (153,610) and domestic workers (94,394). The dominance of the care sector indicates the high demand for care services in developed countries.
The projected increase in PMI placements until 2026 emphasizes the strategic role of PMI as foreign exchange heroes. The contribution of migrant workers, especially through remittances, is very significant in supporting the national economy - even serving as a buffer during the global economic crisis.
For this potential to be optimally utilized, solutions are needed that focus on improving the quality and protection of migrant workers. Quality improvement must be done through adequate job training and competency certification, especially to fill quotas in the formal sector and skilled positions such as caregivers, and equipped with language skills in the destination country.
On the protection side, the government continues to strengthen regulations (such as the PMI Protection Law) and optimize government-to-government (G2G) schemes to suppress non-procedural placement practices and ensure PMI rights. This includes standard wages and protection guarantees.
This increase in the placement of migrant workers is a great opportunity as a way to overcome the problem of unemployment in Indonesia. With the absorption of labor into the global market, the unemployment rate can be reduced. Meanwhile, remittances sent to the country serve as an economic stimulus through increased consumption and investment.
There needs to be encouragement in the form of financing facilities such as People's Business Credit (KUR) for migrant workers to facilitate the legal placement process. There is also a need for empowerment programs for migrants who have returned to their areas of origin to direct remittances and work experience to productive sectors, such as business capital investment. Thus, in the hometown has the potential to create a sustainable economic multiplier effect.
