Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah has called for the prompt renewal of a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers in South Korea through the Employment Permit System (EPS).

During a meeting with South Korea's Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik, Fauziyah expressed the hope that Indonesian migrant workers would have greater job opportunities in South Korea following the renewal of the MoU.

"Indonesia hopes that the Republic of Korea could increase the employment sectors (available) in the EPS system by including the construction, agriculture, and services sectors," she said at the meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday (December 2, 2022) local time, according to a statement issued on Saturday.

The expansion of job opportunities for Indonesians would bolster government-to-government cooperation ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Korea, she added.

Indonesia's demographic bonus, as indicated by the productive age population constituting the majority of the national population, which is predicted to peak in 2030 could benefit South Korea provided that new opportunities open for workers, the minister noted.

Fauziyah said that her ministry is keen to help more Indonesians work overseas as they can gain new knowledge and experiences that they will not get while working in Indonesia.

She pointed out that cooperation with South Korea on the international-level employment information system and employment services must be enhanced to enable more Indonesians to access the platforms.

"Hence, during this working visit, we hope that we could explore potentials to collaborate (on realizing) a comprehensive Public Employment Services (PES), which includes counselor and back office management, as well as PES partnership management with the relevant stakeholders," Fauziyah said.

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Translator: Prisca Triferna V, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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