Jakarta. The Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection has opened 7,600 overseas job opportunities through the 2025 Job Festival, which began on Wednesday at Balai Kartini in Jakarta.

The event involves 20 licensed recruitment agencies promoting formal-sector employment in fields such as hospitality, healthcare, construction, agriculture, and fisheries.

Available destinations include Japan, Turkey, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam, Austria, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Singapore, Canada, Croatia, Bulgaria, and South Korea.

“We want to ensure that Indonesians interested in working abroad have direct access to credible opportunities,” said Deputy Minister of Migrant Worker Protection Christina Aryani in a statement. “We are also collecting data on prospective workers, including those who may not yet have the necessary skills.”

Christina explained that the data collection will help the ministry design relevant training programs to improve candidate readiness and align workforce skills with international labor market demand.

“In this way, we are not only opening job opportunities but also preparing a globally competitive and competent workforce,” she said.

Beyond job listings, the ministry also facilitates direct matching sessions between recruiters and jobseekers, allowing both sides to exchange information and verify employment terms transparently.

Christina said the 2025 Job Festival aims to raise public awareness about the importance of following official recruitment channels, while strengthening Indonesia’s safe and professional migrant worker ecosystem.

The initiative forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand overseas employment access and improve protection and empowerment for Indonesian migrant workers.

According to the ministry, more than 4.5 million Indonesians currently work overseas. The government continues to promote formal placements, skills upgrading, and stronger legal protection to ensure better welfare and workplace safety.

“Through structured training and official placement mechanisms, we want Indonesian workers abroad to be legally protected, professionally recognized, and economically empowered,” Christina said.

Indonesia is one of the largest sources of migrant labor in Asia, alongside the Philippines and Vietnam. Indonesian workers -- particularly in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Japan -- play a vital role in sectors such as domestic work, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing.

According to government data, migrant remittances contributed over Rp 253 trillion ($15 billion) to Indonesia’s economy in 2024, helping boost household consumption and local development in regions such as East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and Central Java, where most migrant workers originate.

In recent years, Jakarta has strengthened its bilateral labor agreements to ensure fair wages and protection for Indonesian workers, while also promoting the shift from informal placements to formal, skill-based employment through national training centers and certification programs.