Indonesia Issues Regulation to Improve Protection for Migrant Workers

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah issued Ministerial Regulation No. 4/2023 on Social Security for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) to improve protection and services for them.

Ida said in a statement that the regulation included several additional social security benefits for workers involved in work-related accidents, compensation for death, or stopped working due to old age.

"The issuance of this manpower ministerial regulation shows the concern of the government [to provide social security] for the migrant workers that have the same [amount of] contributions but with increased benefits," she said.

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She pointed out that there was no increase in the amount of contribution for work accident insurance (JKK) and death compensation (JKM) programs.

In detail, the PMI will pay 37,500 rupiahs ($2.44) before starting their work. Meanwhile, the amount of the remaining contribution will be paid according to their working agreement period.

The migrant workers are required to pay 108,000 rupiahs ($7.04) if they have a six-month working agreement; 189,000 rupiahs ($12.31) for a 12-month working agreement; and 332,500 rupiahs ($21.66) for a 24-month working agreement.

If the term of the work agreement is more than 24 months, the workers have to pay 13,500 rupiahs ($0.88) per additional month.

"Likewise, the amount of JHT [pension insurance] contributions does not change. It is in accordance with the choice of each prospective PMI between 50,000 rupiahs ($3.26) to 600,000 rupiahs ($39.09)," the minister said.

According to the Manpower Ministerial Regulation No. 4/2023, the benefits of the social security program for PMI were increased to cover 21 work risks, from the previous 14 work risks included in the Manpower Ministerial Regulation No. 18/ 2018 on Social Security for PMI, she said.