Jakarta. The government is reminding Indonesian migrant workers to sign up to be members of the state employment insurance scheme BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

The Manpower Ministry recently held an event to promote BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membership in Malang. The ministry told the soon-to-be migrant-worker locals to make sure that they are already protected by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

“Together with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, we will make sure to increase social security participation for migrant workers, especially those who come from Malang,” Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

East Java is the largest source of Indonesian migrant workers. Malang becomes the 7th largest contributing district/city with 6,489 of its people working abroad. As many as 13 percent of the East Javan migrant workers come from the Malang regency. Malang’s deputy regent Didik Gatot Subroto thanked the ministry and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan support for protecting the region’s migrant workers.

“When we talk about protection, us Indonesians pay attention to the rights and obligations, especially work accidents. But sometimes we forget about it, even though the government already has BPJS Ketenagakerjaan,” Didik said.

BPJS Ketenagakerjaan also handed over compensation worth Rp 85 million to one of the heirs of a migrant worker named Erick Kurniawan. Erick had previously died in Japan.

Zainudin, a director at BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, said that the law had mandated the protection of all Indonesian workers. The 2023 Manpower Ministry Regulation also calls for this protection.

"Without any additional contributions, Indonesian migrant workers will get 7 new benefits and 9 other benefits whose value has increased from the previous ministerial regulation. Make sure that migrant workers have already been BPJS Ketenagakerjaan members since the training.  We will provide protection from the risk of work accidents, the risk of death, and the risk of old age, all of which allow migrant workers to work hard in the country of placement and be free from anxiety. This will eventually lead to prosperous migrant workers," Zainudin said.