Pasuruan, East Java. Indonesia has sent 600 workers abroad this week, including skilled personnel bound for South Korea’s shipbuilding and fighter jet manufacturing industries, Migrant Worker Protection Minister Mukhtarudin said on Thursday.

The latest deployment underscores Indonesia’s growing effort to place workers not only in traditional service sectors but also in advanced industrial fields.

The deployment, facilitated by manpower agency Prima Duta Sejati, also includes workers headed for Japan’s construction, food manufacturing, and nursing sectors, as well as caregivers bound for Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Mukhtarudin said the demand for Indonesian labor remains strong in key technical fields such as construction, welding, painting, and electrical work, where Indonesian workers are valued for their adaptability and skill.

“Indonesian migrant workers need continuous training and support to stay competitive and avoid risks of abuse overseas,” the minister said.

He added that beyond earning income, many workers are motivated by a desire to enhance their technical competencies and professional experience abroad.

Prima Duta Sejati Director Maxixe Mantofa said the company’s labor deployment to South Korea was conducted without intermediaries, helping to reduce the traditionally high placement costs borne by workers.

Maxixe also praised the government’s recent steps to streamline labor-export regulations and its openness to feedback from private agencies.