Minister-Ambassador Discuss Sending 500,000 Indonesian Workers to Italy

KBRN, Jakarta: Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI), Mukhtarudin, met with the Indonesian Ambassador to Italy, Junimart Girsang, to discuss the government's ambitious plan to place 500,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) overseas, with a specific focus on new potential placements in Italy.

"Once Italy officially becomes a destination country, we will formally submit the proposal to the Ministry of Manpower and immediately draft a Government-to-Government (G-to-G) diplomatic note," Minister Mukhtarudin said in a KP2MI press statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, as quoted by Antara.

The Minister's statement followed his meeting with Ambassador Junimart Girsang at the KP2MI Ministry office on Monday, November 17, 2025. The two discussed the government's grand plan for 2026 and explored specific placement opportunities in Italy.

The program to place 500,000 migrant workers is a direct priority of President Prabowo Subianto. Of this figure, 300,000 workers are intended to be graduates of Vocational High Schools (SMK) who possess specific skills, while the remaining 200,000 are expected to come from the general public.

Minister Mukhtarudin emphasized President Prabowo Subianto's full support for the protection and empowerment of migrant workers. "The President is very concerned about migrant workers. Training budgets have been prepared, including international standard training," he said.

The Minister highlighted the demographic bonus momentum as a major opportunity. "We hope that all of our Gen Z children can be absorbed, both domestically and overseas. This is a good chance," the KP2MI Minister remarked.

Regarding regulatory enhancement, Mukhtarudin stressed the importance of revising Law No.18 of 2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.

"With this revision, all authority for placement and protection will be centralized at the KP2MI Ministry. This will ease coordination and provide maximum protection for professional migrant workers, especially those with middle to high-level skills," he explained.

Meanwhile, regarding placement potential in Italy, Ambassador Junimart conveyed plans to request slots for 100,000 migrant workers in the country, noting that the Italian Government welcomes trained workers from Indonesia.

"For Italy, we are submitting a request for 100,000 manpower slots, particularly in the nursing and hospitality sectors. The Italian government, through its policy pillars, is very welcoming toward trained workers from Indonesia," he said.

Junimart assured that the workers sent will be those who have undergone intensive training, ensuring they possess middle-to-high level skills. "We will, of course, send people who are already trained. That’s just Italy, not to mention other countries. In principle, we are ready," Junimart added.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to immediately follow up on technical discussions with the Indonesian Embassy in Rome and relevant Italian authorities, aiming to realize the placement target of 100,000 workers, particularly in nursing and hospitality in Italy, in the near future. ***