JAKARTA - Indonesia's migrant worker ministry asked airport operator InJourney to relocate a help desk at the Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Central Java, to make it easier for returning workers to find assistance. The meeting took place on Wednesday, February 4, at the airport.

The help desk currently sits in the domestic arrivals area near the baggage carousel, but migrant workers arrive through international arrivals. The Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers wants the desk moved to face the international gates.

Seriulina B. Tarigan, the ministry's director for return and rehabilitation, said the new location would let workers get help as soon as they land. The ministry also proposed updating the lounge to reflect its recent upgrade from an agency to a full ministry.

InJourney general manager Sulistyo Yulianti said space constraints pose a challenge since the Ahmad Yani Airport was not initially designed as an international airport. The terminal only opened in June 2018 on a floating structure built over coastal waters, which made its expansion costly.

InJourney suggested alternatives including better signage directing workers to the lounge and replacing static banners with LCD screens. The company asked the ministry to submit design plans for review by technical staff.

Indonesia placed 296,948 migrant workers abroad in 2025, exceeding the government's target. Roughly 4.5 million Indonesians work overseas, mainly in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. About 70 percent are women working as domestic helpers or caregivers.

Central Java recorded 57,924 migrant workers deployments in 2025, as of November 30, down from 66,610 in 2024, according to the provincial manpower office. Taiwan and Hong Kong remained the top destinations, followed by Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Turkey. 

The government has expanded migrant worker lounges at several airports as part of efforts to improve services, including at Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport last year.

Ahmad Yani Airport gained international status in August 2004 with its first Singapore route, though international service has been limited compared to larger hubs like Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport.