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Indonesia aims to send up to 500,000 skilled workers abroad in 2026

Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Mukhtarudin said more than 286,400 Indonesians had secured jobs abroad as of mid-December 2025, equivalent to 110.5% of the annual target.

Jakarta (VNA) – The Government of Indonesia has set a target of deploying between 300,000 and 500,000 skilled migrant workers overseas in 2026, with departures scheduled to begin in April, in a move to tap into global labour demand and boost remittance inflows.

Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar the initiative will focus on skilled labour in sectors such as welding, hospitality and healthcare, with major destination markets including Japan, the Republic of Korea, several European countries, the US and others. The minister stressed that the government is shifting strongly toward professional and technical positions rather than low-skilled domestic work.

Applicants are required to have at least a high school diploma or vocational college qualification to ensure they are capable of taking on technical roles and to reduce risks associated with more vulnerable jobs, particularly domestic work.

The programme is being implemented under the SMA/SMK Go Global initiative, jointly run by the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment and the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KemenP2MI). It aims to enhance the quality of vocational and high school graduates and expand their access to international labour markets.

The new target comes after Indonesia surpassed its overseas placement goal in 2025. Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Mukhtarudin said more than 286,400 Indonesians had secured jobs abroad as of mid-December 2025, equivalent to 110.5% of the annual target.

Domestic work continued to account for the largest share of placements at 36.5%, followed by healthcare at 20.6% and manufacturing at 14.1%. The largest destination markets were Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China) and Malaysia.

According to Bank Indonesia, remittances from Indonesian migrant workers reached 212 trillion IDR (13.6 billion USD) through the third quarter of 2025, marking a 38.6% increase compared to the previous year. The figure underscored the significant economic contribution of overseas workers to the national economy.

The Indonesian Government plans to continue prioritising skills training, worker protection and enhanced competitiveness to strengthen the country’s position in the global labour market./.

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