Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to integrate their placement systems for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) into a single-channel system.

The updated agreement will serve as a foundation for unifying Saudi Arabia's job market app MUSANED and Indonesia's job market system Siap Kerja.

"The two ministers agreed to accelerate the process of developing and integrating the systems of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia for the pilot project of the one-channel system, and we agreed to create a joint task force consisting of related officials of the two countries," Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah informed after witnessing the agreement signing ceremony in Bali on Thursday.

The agreement was inked by the ministry's director general for development of manpower placement and job opportunities expansion, Suhartono, and deputy for international relations at Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Adnan Alnuaim.

The signing was witnessed directly by Minister Fauziyah and Saudi Arabian Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain.

Related news: Indonesia, Saudi Arabia expedite drafting of MoU on PMI placement

In a joint speech, Fauziyah informed that the single-channel system will be piloted in seven regions in Saudi Arabia: Mecca, Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina, Dammam, Dahran, and Khobar.

She said that IT teams from both countries had met on Sunday (August 9, 2022) and agreed on a business process so that MUSANED and Siap Kerja can be integrated without delay.

"It takes us about two months to prepare for these two systems’ integration," Fauziyah added.

She also emphasized that till the two applications are integrated into a one-channel system, Indonesia will not send PMIs to Saudi Arabia.

In addition, once the one-channel system is rolled out, Indonesia will send migrant workers under six work categories, namely housekeepers, babysitters, family cooks, elderly caretakers, family drivers, and childcarers.

The two countries had agreed on limited placement in the six work categories in 2018.

Related news: Minister deploys 150 professional nurses to work in Saudi Arabia
Related news: RI, Saudi Arabia discuss placement, protection of migrant workers


Translator: Genta M, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022