KUALA LUMPUR -  Indonesia’s Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers (KP2MI), Mukhtarudin reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a full reform of the country’s migrant worker placement system.

He made the remarks while receiving a visit from University of Indonesia Rector Heri Hermansyah and Depok Deputy Mayor Chandra Rahmansyah at the P2MI office in Jakarta, yesterday (13 January).

“The era of sending unskilled domestic workers must end, replaced by an integrated competency-based system,” Mukhtarudin said.

“We no longer want migrant workers sent abroad without preparation. The main problem so far has been sending workers without skills who do not even understand the basic language of the destination country. 

“In the future, even for domestic work sectors, they must have standard lower-level skills, at least understand the language and be able to operate modern household equipment,” he added.

Mukhtarudin explained that the government is currently drafting a Grand Design that regulates the journey of migrant workers from education to overseas placement.

This initiative aims to bridge the gap between graduates’ competencies and the demands of the international job market.

“Our ecosystem has been fragmented or working in isolation. We have signed MOUs with several universities to ensure vocational school and university curricula are aligned (‘link and match’) with global needs.

“We want overseas job opportunities to become a shared responsibility,” he said.

As a concrete step, the government has established several Migrant Centers in various regions to streamline training and placement.

Mukhtarudin praised institutions like Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) for implementing a One-Stop Service system and encouraged the University of Indonesia to adopt a similar role.

“UI has incredible infrastructure, human resources, and international networks as one of the top 200 universities in the world. 

“We want major campuses to serve as a direct bridge, from training and medical check-ups to placement through foreign agencies legally and safely,” said Mukhtarudin.

The government has set a 2026 target to provide independent training for thousands of prospective migrant workers, focusing on language proficiency and technical skills as a tangible effort to protect and enhance the dignity of Indonesian workers worldwide.