Indonesia Targets 425,000 Overseas Jobs in 2025, With Wages Reaching Rp 50 Million a Month

A larger overseas workforce, with more at stake

Indonesia aims to send at least 425,000 workers abroad in 2025, expanding a program that promises monthly salaries of up to Rp 50 million, about $3,000, while seeking more than Rp 300 trillion in foreign exchange earnings. The target places overseas employment at the center of an effort to address unemployment, raise family incomes and support national economic growth.

The Ministry of Manpower is leading the initiative with support from President Prabowo Subianto. Its scale would represent an increase of at least 128,000 workers, or about 43 percent, from the 297,000 deployed in 2024. The government is seeking opportunities across Asia, Europe and beyond, including work in factories, fisheries, nursing and other services.

The 2024 deployments generated Rp 251 trillion in foreign exchange and contributed to a 0.36 percent increase in economic growth. For 2025, the government projects foreign exchange earnings above Rp 300 trillion and a potential 0.52 percent boost to gross domestic product, or GDP, the measure of goods and services produced in an economy.

Indonesia's ambitions extend beyond sending more people overseas. Officials want workers to secure better paid jobs through stronger technical skills, language education and professional qualifications. The policy seeks to make use of the country's demographic dividend: the economic opportunity created by having a large, young population able to work.

For families, the potential reward is a salary much higher than many workers can earn at home. Reaching that income can involve a lengthy preparation process, unfamiliar working conditions and risks ranging from excessive recruitment fees to abuse. The expansion therefore puts worker protection alongside employment numbers as a central concern.

Where workers are going and what they can earn

South Korea and Germany illustrate the range of jobs being arranged through government-to-government employment schemes. In a recent group of departures, 191 Indonesians went to South Korea for manufacturing, fisheries and service jobs, while 11 went to Germany to work as nurses.

South Korean positions offer average monthly salaries of around Rp 25 million. Nursing jobs in Germany offer Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million a month, reflecting strong demand for healthcare professionals in Europe. Those figures put the German nursing salaries at roughly 1.6 to two times the average cited for the South Korean jobs.

Millions of Indonesians already work abroad, primarily in Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea. Domestic work, construction, plantation work and care remain common occupations, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.

Employment contracts generally last three years, although extensions depend on the destination and the job. South Korean contracts can be extended by up to 22 months. In Germany, renewal may depend on workers gaining professional recognition, meaning that their qualifications are accepted for the work they are doing.

The government is trying to widen the list of destination countries, especially in Europe. More destinations would give workers a broader choice of jobs and reduce Indonesia's reliance on its traditional overseas employment markets.

Training can take up to two years

Prospective workers can spend up to two years preparing to secure employment abroad through official channels. Technical training and intensive language courses are intended to prepare them for both the tasks they will perform and the communication their jobs require.

A nurse, factory worker or fisheries worker needs more than an offer of employment to function in a new workplace. Understanding instructions, communicating with colleagues and adapting to a different working environment are part of the preparation the government wants candidates to complete.

English education from elementary school onward is among the government's priorities for improving international competitiveness. Officials see language proficiency as an area in which Indonesian workers must strengthen their position, particularly when competing with workers from the Philippines, who are known for their English skills and professionalism.

Mental readiness is another concern. Officials stress that higher pay comes with the demands of living in a different culture, speaking another language and adjusting to unfamiliar work practices. Many workers have resigned early because of difficulties abroad, making psychological preparation and continuing support important parts of the program.

Why money sent home matters

Remittances, the money workers abroad send home, provide income for millions of Indonesian families. They can help households meet daily costs, pay for education and build savings, while supporting shops, services and other businesses in the communities receiving the money.

Indonesian migrant workers sent home more than IDR 118 trillion in 2016. By 2018, remittances had risen to US$8.8 billion, equivalent to IDR 127.6 trillion. Women contribute most of these transfers, reflecting their large presence in domestic work and care.

The money can also provide capital for small businesses and investments. A family able to save part of a worker's overseas earnings may have resources to start an enterprise or prepare for expenses that would otherwise be difficult to meet.

Indonesia's government sees expanded overseas employment as one response to unemployment, which stood at 7.47 million people in 2024. The policy combines the search for jobs overseas with efforts to prepare people for work and business opportunities at home.

Community job training centers and entrepreneurial incubators are being developed nationwide for that purpose. Training centers build employment skills, while incubators help people develop business ideas. Both are intended to support opportunities within Indonesia as well as overseas.

How the expansion fits international labor migration

Indonesia's approach is part of a wider pattern in which countries with large supplies of workers send people to wealthier destinations experiencing labor shortages. The arrangement connects people seeking better wages with employers needing staff, although the rules and protections vary between programs.

The United States' H-2A program, Australia's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, known as PALM, and Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, or SAWP, provide examples of frameworks for seasonal or longer term labor migration. Such programs can offer wages above the minimum, with differing levels of worker protection.

Indonesia is focusing on skill certification, language training and legal recruitment channels to improve its workers' position in this international market. Certification gives employers a formal record of a worker's abilities, while language preparation helps workers use those abilities in another country.

Government-to-government arrangements are one route within that effort. Indonesia is also seeking bilateral agreements with destination countries covering better wages and health, social and life insurance, making the terms of employment and access to protection part of negotiations between governments.

Recruitment risks can begin before departure

Indonesian migrant workers face contract substitution, gaps in legal protection, abuse and exploitation, especially in domestic work and care jobs requiring fewer formal qualifications. Contract substitution means the terms a worker encounters differ from those originally promised.

Recruitment problems can start in Indonesia. Labor brokers and recruitment agencies sometimes give misleading information about pay or working conditions, or charge excessive fees. A worker may therefore begin the journey with an inaccurate picture of the job or a debt that will take time to repay.

The government has taken steps to regulate recruitment agencies and introduce digital platforms such as SISKOP2MI to safeguard workers' rights. Other measures include preparation before departure, legal aid and insurance schemes, although many workers have limited access to these services or do not fully understand them.

Enforcement remains difficult. Many Indonesians continue to migrate through procedures outside official channels, exposing them to exploitation, unpaid wages and trafficking. The COVID-19 pandemic added repatriations and uncertainty, alongside increased cases of fraud and unpaid salaries.

The practical challenge is to make protection available throughout the journey: during recruitment, while working overseas and when a dispute occurs. Expanding placements increases the number of people who need those services to work effectively.

Women face particular risks

Women make up the majority of Indonesian migrant workers, especially in domestic work and care. They face particular exposure to violence, fraud and debt bondage, in which debt is used to keep someone tied to work under exploitative conditions.

In Cirebon, West Java, the Integrated Gender Responsive Migrant Workers Resource Centre, or MRC, provides support that takes these risks into account. Its services include consultation before employment, psychological and social counseling, legal aid and reliable information about migration.

The center also helps draft village regulations to protect workers and promote migration through legal channels. Its approach brings several groups together at village level, with attention to early intervention, literacy and people's ability to make informed economic decisions.

Susilawati, a former undocumented worker who joined MRC training, described how the program changed her preparations for another job abroad:

I learned about legal recruitment, workers' rights, and financial management. Now, I am preparing to work in Hong Kong through proper procedures and aim to invest for my future. I also educate others in my village about the risks of illegal migration.

Her experience connects several parts of the protection effort: learning how recruitment should work, understanding rights, planning how to use earnings and sharing information with other potential migrants. Programs such as the Cirebon center are seen as models for involving local communities in worker protection before departure.

Turning overseas earnings into lasting security

The government and nongovernmental organizations are placing more attention on financial literacy alongside technical and language skills. The aim is to help workers manage higher earnings, save for the future and avoid debt or poor investment decisions that could consume the benefits of working abroad.

Training centers teach workers to budget for children's education, old age, home ownership and starting businesses. These are concrete goals that may require saving across several years rather than spending income as it arrives.

Families also need plans for life after migration. A worker who returns with savings and a viable business plan may have more choices about whether to seek another overseas contract or earn a living at home. The preparation effort is intended to make migration's benefits last beyond a single period of employment.

Financial education and local business support therefore sit alongside the drive for higher salaries. The government's approach seeks to connect money earned overseas with household security and sustainable economic activity in Indonesia.

Legal protection still needs stronger enforcement

Indonesia has ratified international conventions and updated laws to protect citizens working abroad. Legal disputes can nevertheless take a long time to resolve, and judicial systems may favor employers, leaving workers facing a difficult process when they seek wages, compensation or help after abuse.

Insurance and compensation programs exist, but access can be difficult and explanations inadequate. For a worker already dealing with lost pay or a dispute, knowing how to make a claim is part of whether the protection is usable.

Experts and advocates have called for simpler insurance claims, better integration of immigration and labor laws, and stronger support for workers facing disputes or abuse. Effective enforcement also requires coordination between the agencies responsible for different stages of migration.

The proposed reforms address a practical gap between having a protection on paper and being able to obtain help. The government's goal is for overseas employment to provide a safe and dignified route to higher income.

Competing for better paid work

The Philippines is a major competitor in the international labor market. Filipino workers send home $40 billion annually, far above Indonesia's cited remittance figures, despite the Philippines having a smaller overseas workforce.

Indonesia is investing in education, language training and skill certification to improve its position. The ambition is to prepare workers who can qualify for higher wages and better working conditions, rather than rely chiefly on increasing the number sent abroad.

Healthcare, technology and engineering are among the sectors the government wants to expand. That shift also seeks to challenge the stereotype that Indonesian migrant workers are suited only to jobs requiring fewer formal skills.

The central targets for 2025 remain at least 425,000 overseas placements, more than Rp 300 trillion in foreign exchange earnings and a potential 0.52 percent boost to GDP. Achieving the wider ambition also depends on preparation, recruitment practices and access to protection, because these determine what workers and their families gain from the opportunity.

Key Points

• Indonesia aims to send at least 425,000 workers abroad in 2025, up from 297,000 in 2024.
• The government projects more than Rp 300 trillion in foreign exchange earnings and a potential 0.52 percent boost to GDP.
• South Korean jobs offer average monthly salaries around Rp 25 million, while nursing positions in Germany offer Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million.
• Preparation through official channels can take up to two years and includes technical skills, language training and mental readiness.
• Remittances support millions of families, while financial education seeks to turn earnings into savings, education, housing and businesses.
• Workers face recruitment fraud, excessive fees, contract substitution, unpaid wages and abuse, with women facing particular vulnerabilities.
• Indonesia is pursuing stronger protection and more skilled employment in healthcare, technology and engineering.