Jakarta. Austria is looking to recruit professional and skilled workers from Indonesia as the country faces a labor shortage, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Wednesday.

Retno discussed the cooperation with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a bilateral meeting in Vienna on Tuesday.

"Indonesia and Austria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Recruitment of Professional and Skilled Workers last May," Retno said in a written statement.

In their discussions on education and capacity-building cooperation, Retno emphasized the benefits of recruiting Indonesian workers to Austria.

Austria, she noted, is currently facing a labor shortage and is estimated to need about 15,000 non-EU workers by 2027.

Retno urged the prompt implementation of this cooperation to open the Austrian labor market to skilled Indonesian workers.

"I also appreciate Austria's support of 40 million euros (approximately Rp 703.2 billion) for the construction of Vocational Training Centers in Medan, Serang, and Makassar," she said.

Both ministers welcomed increased cooperation in higher education between the two countries, funded by various programs such as the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), the Indonesia–Austria Scholarship Programme (IASP), and the ASEAN-European Academic University Network program.

Regarding educational cooperation, they agreed to renew and expand their collaboration, including new elements such as teacher training, language classes, internship programs, and dual degree programs.

Beyond capacity-building and educational cooperation, they also discussed tourism cooperation. Both foreign ministers agreed to explore sustainable tourism initiatives.

"Austria has shown interest in recruiting skilled workers in the tourism and hospitality sectors," Retno stated.

Another topic discussed was people-to-people contact cooperation. Retno mentioned that both countries welcomed the 8th Indonesia-Austria Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue (IAID) in Bandung in July.

The dialogue will address issues such as climate change, women's issues, and discussions to reduce religious disparities.

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