Indonesian migrant worker

Indonesian migrant worker or Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (abbreviate: TKI) are Indonesian citizens that work in foreign countries outside of Indonesia.

The large population of Indonesia as the world's 4th largest, has contributed to the surplus of workforces in Indonesia. This large workforce, combined with scarcity and unavailability of jobs at home, has led numbers of Indonesians to seek job abroad, to earn money to improve their economy. However this Indonesian migrant workers are mostly low-skilled and works in domestic sector. They are prone to exploitation, extortion, physical and sexual abuses, suffered by those enduring human trafficking. Several cases of abuses upon Indonesian migrant worker has been reported and some has gained worldwide attention.

It is estimated around 4.5 million Indonesians work abroad. Most of them (around 70%) are women, most are employed in domestic sector as maid or domestic helper and manufacture sector. Most of them aged in productive age margin, between 18 and 35 years old. However it is estimated some of them might be under aged through document falsification. Around 30% are men, mostly work in plantation, construction, transportation and service sector.

Since 1969, the government of Indonesia has administered the recruitment of migrant labour. The public programme is widely criticized to prioritize the rights of private recruitment agents over the migrant workers they recruit.

Currently Malaysia employs the largest numbers of Indonesian migrant workers, followed by Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It is important to note that these are official numbers, the actual numbers might be far larger contributed by unrecorded illegal entry of Indonesian workers into foreign countries.

Source:BNP2TKI

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