Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah, during a meeting with her Singaporean counterpart, Tan See Leng, on Monday (February 5), expressed hope that Indonesian nurses would fill the needs of health sector workers in Singapore.

In a statement from her office on Tuesday, the minister stated that 60 healthcare assistants were placed in Singapore in 2023. In 2024, her side is preparing to send enrolled and registered nurses who have successfully passed the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) Exam held in Jakarta.

"We hope that this opportunity remains open, so we can fill Singapore's need for health sector workers, in line with the increasing elderly population in Singapore," Fauziyah stated at a meeting in Singapore.

The minister noted that the needs in Singapore's health sector are increasing, as currently one in five Singaporeans are aged 65 years and above, while by 2030, it is estimated that one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 years and over. Seeing these conditions, Singapore's economy needs additional migrant workers to run optimally.

On the other hand, she remarked that Indonesia is currently experiencing a demographic bonus, namely a period in which the number of people of the productive age in the range of 15-64 years will be higher than members of the unproductive age population in the age range of 65 years and above.

She then echoed Indonesia's readiness to send workers to other sectors in Singapore, including in the food and beverage, hospitality, and retail sectors.

Meanwhile, Minister Leng stated that the Government of Singapore opened opportunities for Indonesian nurses to work in Singapore.

"The nurses from Indonesia are good and also very helpful. There are also many Indonesian patients in several hospitals in Singapore," he noted.

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