Jakarta. Indonesia sees the Philippines as its top rival in supplying migrant workers for Europe, citing the Filipinos’ English proficiency.

Deputy Migrant Worker Protection Minister Christina Aryani admitted Jakarta has had its share of challenges convincing foreign governments to open their labor markets to Indonesians. The hurdle? Fellow ASEAN nation the Philippines has already gained a foothold in the graying European countries, which are looking to fill the labor shortage.

“We are mainly competing with Filipino migrant workers in Europe, such as Croatia, Bulgaria, and Germany," Christina told a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The competition is highly concentrated in the hospitality and healthcare industries. Rivalry is quite non-existent in the construction sector, as the Philippines mostly sends women workers abroad, according to Christina. 

“And hospitality actually holds great potential for our workers. It is relatively easy to enter the industry, compared to the healthcare sector, which would require further training.”

Jakarta had been trying to woo the US to accept its workers, Christina said. But again, Filipino nurses have already entered the American market.

“The Philippines has long managed its migrant workers. They gained an upper hand for once being an [American] colony. That’s why the people can already speak English,” Christina said.  

She admitted to “not being too worried about Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Indian workers” despite the volumes. 

“Our workers are far more skilled than theirs, but we are always head-to-head with the Philippines.”

Indonesia has also been seeking to link its vocational school graduates – and the general public at large – with foreign job markets in a program known as “SMK Go Global”. They are expected to undergo training before actually leaving the country.

Indonesia aims to gradually send up to 500,000 workers —  be it caregivers, welders, truck drivers, among others — until 2029. Some of these people are expected to go to Europe, including Germany. 

As of 2024, as many as 2.19 million Filipinos worked abroad, according to the country’s statistics agency.

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