10.47313 Bargaining Position of Indonesia Women International Migrant Labors

Bargaining Position of Indonesia Women International Migrant Labors

Abstract

Background. Indonesia is the state with the fourth largest population
number in the world, with 270 million populations, 208.54 millions of total
population are at productive age. Out of the productive-age populations 8.40
millions are unemployed. Unemployment problem in Indonesia is due to labor
forces unabsorbed by the job opportunity existing; thus unemployment problem
will always appear and no appropriate formula has been found to deal with the
unemployment in Indonesia until today. This condition is worsened by pandemic
situation for about 2 years. Amid uncertain and unpredictable condition, we should
willy-nilly keep existent and wake up to get out of the crisis. Fortunately, as an
agrarian state with fertile land, Indonesia can survive because the performance
of agricultural factor supporting it through improving the farming productivity
and thereby can suffice their need for food themselves and even export it to Saudi
Arabia. However, agricultural extensification program implemented has not been
able to solve unemployment problem completely, recalling the imbalance between
the growth of labor force number and the available job opportunity. Massive work
relation termination due to the slow economic growth leads to the shutdown of
large-scale companies employing a large number of employees. Unemployment
rate in Indonesia is recorded 57.93 percents of total productive-age populations,
208.54 millions people, in January 2022 (https://www.unair.ac.id>2022/06/20).
Out of the unemployment rate existing, 39.52 percent or 57.97 million populations
aged 15 and above who are working are women (BPS 2021). Considering the
data of unemployment rate aforementioned, job seekers, particularly women,
migrate abroad as Indonesian migrant labors, because they are not absorbed by
the domestic job opportunities. Most job seekers try to migrate to other countries
to get job, despite limited skill. - 17 -
Being migrant care with limited protection and skill is a difficult choice,
but many people, particularly women, do it. Therefore, they can just enter into
relatively low-waged jobs with minimum protection such as household assistant
and plantation labors. Only very few of them can enter professional job like
administrative staff. Data cited from Agency for Indonesian Migrant Labor
Protection (Badan Perlindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia or BP2MI) processed
by Kompas’ Research and Development Division (Litbang Kompas) shows that
there were a total of 277,489 migrant labors in 2019. This figure decreased to
72,624 in 2021, with 8 top-ranked destination states: Hongkong, Taiwan, South
Korea, Singapore, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Italia, and Malaysia. The decrease in the
number of migrant labors is due to the decreased demand for labors, in addition to
limited mobility between one state and another due to COVID-19. However, along
with the subsiding COVID-19 case and the signs of global economic growth, the
demand for migrant labors increases again. The increased demand for migrant
labors in Malaysia today is due to the scarcity of labors in strategic sectors and
thereby needing migrant labors from other states, particularly Indonesia. This
improves the bargaining position of Indonesian migrant labors. The stronger
bargaining position of Indonesian labors becomes a sufficiently good and strategic
beginning. This moment should be utilized to improve the bargaining position of
Indonesian migrant labors touching both technical and foreign language skills and
strengthening migrant labor organization, in the attempt of internal consolidation.
The unemployment in Indonesia occurs due to the imbalance between population
growth and the available job opportunity. Meanwhile, in other states, particularly
Malaysia, there is an increase in the number of migrant labors in either formal or
informal sector. Therefore, many Indonesian labors, particularly female, become
migrant labors. Migrant labors are largely not equipped with adequate skill and
thereby their bargaining position is low. It makes the protection is given minimally
to the migrant labors. From the background above, the problem statement is
formulated as follows: What are attempts taken to improve the bargaining
position of Indonesian migrant labors? The objective of research is to analyze
the extent to which the Indonesian female migrant labors working abroad have
appropriate skill. The result of research showed that there are three categories
of job the women can enter: housemaid, plantation (factory) labor, and nurse or
other formal sector still with limited protection. Method. This research used
descriptive qualitative method. This research tried to describe, to analyze and
to interpret why Indonesian female migrant labors do not have good bargaining
position and thereby lead to the weak protection for them and the wage they
receive often incompatible to the contract. To collect the data, this research used - 18 -
literature study, and finding previous studies, and interview with international
migrant labors, either having gone back to Indonesia or still in foreign countries
like Mekah, Saudi Arabia. Conclusion. 1) An alternative attempt taken by some
Indonesian people to reduce unemployment rate due to limited job opportunity
available at home is to be migrant labor with the top 8 state destinations (Saudi
Arabia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia). 2)
The wage received by Indonesian migrant labors range between 5 and 7 millions
without the need for spending money for local transportation, food, and house
rent costs. Indonesian migrant labors can send about 5 millions rupiah per month
to their family existing in Indonesia. It is a fairly high value compared with
what they will get when they work in domestic sector. 3) Types of job done by
Indonesian migrant labors do not need high education. They include household
assistant, plantation labor, ship attendant, and doing light administrative jobs such
as librarian in Saudi Arabian masjid. 4) The weaknesses of Indonesian migrant
labors include poor technical skill and language ability, and the difficulty to adapt
to the destination state’s culture, and the inadequate protection in the term of
working system, payroll system, physical violence, and sexual abuse, particularly
to female migrant labors. 5) The presence of government is very desirable to
protect Indonesian migrant labors and to improve their skill in order to improve
their bargaining position.