Bandung, West Java (ANTARA) - Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship this year could help expand the job market and opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from West Java.
"West Java's Manpower and Transmigration Office this year is encouraging on the issues of the job market for migrant workers and inclusive job market development, which can refer to the principles of connectivity in ASEAN," the office's head, Rachmat Taufik Garsadi, said here on Thursday.
Expanding the job market for migrant workers from West Java is a mandate according to the province's regulation No. 2/2022, he added. The regulation also covers the development of an inclusive labor market based on Law No.8/2016 on Persons with Disabilities.
The office has established a disability service unit to support inclusive labor market development.
Of the PMIs from West Java, the most or 68.81 percent work in Malaysia, 31.14 percent in Singapore, and 0.05 percent in Brunei Darussalam, according to 2022 data from the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI), Garsadi said.
"Although in reality, there are still many illegal PMIs departing to other ASEAN countries, such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam," he added.
In protecting PMIs, West Java became a pioneer province by issuing a regional regulation in 2021 that was based on Law No. 18/2017 on the protection of PMIs and Government Regulation (PP) No. 59/2021 on the implementation of PMI protection, he said.
He also conveyed the West Java provincial government's commitment to strengthening the PMI protection program through the West Java Migrant Service Center (JMSC) and digitization of services, such as the Si Juara app.
"The goal is to open accessibility for West Java's prospective PMIs to jobs abroad through lawful procedures," he said.
On a separate occasion, the head of the West Java One-Stop Integrated Service and Investment Services (DPMPTSP), Nining Yuliastiani, expressed optimism that the province would become the most attractive investment destination in ASEAN.
She said the province's population of 49.4 million people has contributed to making it an attractive investment destination.
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