Indonesia, Netherlands Discuss Recruitment of Nurses, Caregivers

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com -  Indonesia and the Netherlands have agreed to negotiate on the extension of social protection cooperation which had ended recently. 

The plan was conveyed by the Dutch delegation during a meeting with the secretary-general of Indonesia's Manpower Ministry Anwar Sanusi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, where the officials of both countries discussed issues on manpower. 

"We welcome the plan to evaluate and extend the MoU [memorandum of understanding] on social protection. We believe that this cooperation can improve social protection for workers," said Hindun Anisah, a special staff of the Manpower Minister on Friday, June 25.

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Hindun went on to say that the officials of both nations also discussed the recruitment and placement of the Indonesian migrant workers, known by its Indonesian acronym PMI, in the caregiving services. The Netherlands has many job opportunities for nurses and caregivers due to the increasing number of its elderly population. 

"This is certainly a good opportunity for the placement of specified skilled workers from Indonesia in the health sector [caregiving services]," said Hindun.

Meanwhile, Reza Hafiz Akbar, a special staff for the Manpower Minister, said during the meeting, the Dutch officials also committed to supporting the creation of sustainable jobs and the inclusive labor market as well as the development of human capacity for sustainable productivity growth. 

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The creation of sustainable jobs aims to support workers with disabilities to enter the labor market through the provision of job training programs and the provision of social protection. Meanwhile, the job training programs are not only the responsibility of the government, but they also involve all parties, including employers and labor unions, according to the Dutch officials.  

The officials also touched on community-based vocational training which is one of Indonesia's priority issues. As of now, the Manpower Ministry has established 2,127 Community Work Training Centers to improve the skills of Indonesian human resources.

"The Dutch government will support this program so it can be a solution in developing social community-based competencies, and the Indonesian government also welcomes the potential for cooperation of the two countries in supporting priority issues," said Reza.

(Writer: Kiki Safitri | Editor: Ambaranie Nadia Kemala Movanita)

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/06/27/075941626/lanjutkan-kerja-sama-indonesia-dan-belanda-bahas-penempatan-perawat-untuk?page=all#page2.