ASEAN Governments must show concrete participation in protecting their migrant workers, including Indonesian workers. To date, ASEAN Summits have merely been ceremonial and euphoric, marked by the signing of various documents without real implementation.
In the second document, the highlights touch on ways to increase workers’ productivity. Currently, the productivity of Indonesian workers is lower than that of workers from other ASEAN countries. The Manpower Ministry admitted that Indonesian worker productivity is at 74.4%, compared to an average of 78.2% for ASEAN workers.
Almost 60% of Indonesian workers are junior high school graduates or below. As their skills are limited, it is difficult for them to compete and increase productivity. Systemic improvements must be built in, supported by an adequate budget for vocational training and education and improving the human resources ecosystem.
Vocational training programs such as Pre-Employment Cards, Job Loss Insurance (JKP) training programs and training organized by other ministries/agencies should have a single-management system so that planning, execution, budget support and evaluation can be more integrated and the output and outcomes can be optimized.
Business development and youth entrepreneurship, social dialogue and industrial relations, social protection, public employment services and adaptive labor market policies, utilization of the Internet of Things (IoT), increasing exchange of knowledge and strengthening ASEAN partnerships are vital instruments to support Indonesian workers’ productivity.
Thus, productivity improvement must be supported by fostering an entrepreneurial climate for young workers (access to working capital loans, markets, training and management), enhancing social dialogue and industrial relations for the formal sector and turning the informal sector into a subject for social dialogue and industrial relations.
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To guarantee all outcome documents in the 43rd ASEAN Summit, especially the two initiated by the Indonesian Government, are implemented by all ASEAN countries, the Indonesian Government must thoroughly pursue the points in the documents. The Indonesian team must lobby ASEAN Governments to ensure their implementation.
Hopefully, migrant workers’ protection and productivity improvement can be realized to better the welfare of the Indonesian people.