UPDATE on 24 March 2015 – Indonesia to Withdraw Local Language Plan for Foreign Workers, Sources Say

Published on 3 January 2015

Mr. Hanif Dhakiri, the Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, said that the government plans to implement a new regulation for foreign employees who want to work in Indonesia. According to the new regulation all foreigners working in Indonesia will be required to master the Indonesian language.

“We expect the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration to complete the revision to the Indonesian law this February, to allow the government to test the Indonesian language skills of all foreigners who want to work in Indonesia.” said Mr. Hanif Dhakiri in Jakarta, Friday (1/2/2015).

Indonesia expats required to learn indonesian

Currently, the draft of the revision for the procedures of foreign labour law is laid out at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, together with other regulations.

The minister said that the new regulation is carefully being considered and discussed with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and the other relevant technical agencies. The goal is to narrow the flow of foreign workers into Indonesia and improve the integration of foreign workers into Indonesian society.

The testing procedure is currently being discussed by the Directorate General of Manpower (Binapenta) Kemnaker and the Language Development Institute of the University of Indonesia. A foreigners ability to speak Indonesian will be determined based on his or her test scores on the new TOIFL test (Test of Indonesian as Foreign Language).

In addition to testing the level of Indonesian language, foreigners must also upload the required licensing documents through the online system.

“Another new condition is that foreign workers must possess at least an S1 schooling qualification (S1 or Sarjana 1 is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree). Proof of the qualification (the school certificate) needs to be uploaded by the foreign aspirant together with a certificate of competence for the desired position and a description of relevant work experience,” said Mr. Hanif.

In addition, the foreign employee must agree to a statement to transfer his expertise to his Indonesian colleagues, specified by name, address, occupation and their employment contracts.

An exception to these requirements are foreign employees who have a position of director or commissioner, as described by the “Certificate of Incorporation”, as authorized by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Kemenkumham). The new requirements also do not apply to foreign employees related to after-sales services or impresario services.

Meanwhile, to improve the licensing process for foreign employees, the minister of Labour requires that the registration is done online. When the registration is approved by the immigration office (TA-01), the wired VISA transfer process time will be reduced from two days to one day.

The use of foreign employees aims to improve the Indonesian labor market, but also the competitiveness of Indonesian workers by training and sharing experience with foreign employees. The minister of labour said it will improve the oversight and enforcement of labor laws in accordance with the rules of supervision by the labor law inspectors at central and local levels, as well as improve cooperation with the immigration authorities, police and other related institutions.

Based on data provided by the Ministry of Labour and Manpower regarding the number of foreign work permits issued (IMTA), as of October 2014, there were 64,604 foreigners working in Indonesia, 4,353 less than in 2013 with as many as 68,957. In 2012 the number was even more with 72,427 permits issued.

Foreign employees from China continued to dominate with 15,341 people, then Japan (10,183), South Korea (7,678), India (4,680), Malaysia (3,779) and then the United States (2,497). The majority of these foreign employees are working in the service sector (38,540), the industrial sector (23,482) and in the agricultural sector (2,582).

Source : www.antaranews.com

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