Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to form a joint task force to accelerate the placement of Indonesian migrant workers while strengthening oversight and protection, particularly in Malaysia’s Sarawak state, officials said on Tuesday.
Indonesia’s Minister for Migrant Worker Protection Mukhtarudin said the task force will focus on curbing non-procedural departures and tightening supervision, following talks with Sarawak Industry Minister Stephen Rundi Utom and Deputy Immigration Minister Gerawat Gala in Jakarta.
"We agreed to address the issue of non-procedural migrant workers and to immediately form a special task force to carry out stricter supervision,” Mukhtarudin said in a statement.
Both sides also committed to regulatory reforms to shorten administrative timelines and improve legal placement channels, aiming to reduce irregular migration and ensure faster, safer deployment of workers.
Indonesia has cut its worker placement and job verification process to 21 days, Mukhtarudin said, adding that Sarawak agreed to speed up work visa issuance to 20 days from about 30 previously.
The cooperation will include database sharing and data synchronization among agencies to support effective job matching and align Sarawak’s labor needs with Indonesia’s training programs.
Workers who complete training will have clearer job certainty, Mukhtarudin said, calling the initiative part of President Prabowo Subianto’s “quick win” target to place 500,000 Indonesian migrant workers by 2026.
Sarawak’s Industry Minister Stephen Rundi Utom said Indonesian migrant workers were highly productive, particularly in plantation sectors, and stressed the importance of improving recruitment systems and worker welfare to ensure the cooperation continues.
"The quality and productivity of Indonesian workers are unmatched. They are highly skilled, and that is why we want to keep improving the recruitment system and their welfare so this cooperation can continue,” Stephen said.
Sarawak faces strong labor demand across sectors, from physically demanding upstream jobs to skilled professional roles downstream, he said, noting that the state’s small population and vast territory make cooperation with Indonesia vital for economic growth.
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Translator: Asri Mayang Sari, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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