Expatriates in Indonesia: Number of Foreign Workers is Declining
The number of expatriates working in Indonesia has declined in the last three years. Based on data from the Ministry of Manpower & Transmigration there were 68,957 expatriates working in Indonesia in 2013, a 4.8 percent decline from 2012. The main reason for this falling number is tighter government policy. Minister Muhaimin Iskandar stated that curtailing the influx of expats is one way of developing the country's human resources. Only when a foreigner has such exceptional qualities - not easily found in Indonesia - should he/she work in Indonesia.
In this way, a foreigner cannot block an Indonesian (possessing equal skills) from employment, which will subsequently have a positive effect on the country's unemployment rate (6.3 percent in 2013). "Foreign workers must be able to transfer their excellent skills, knowledge and technology to locals as an effort to develop the quality of Indonesian human resources and labor," Iskandar said. In fact, the presence of a foreign worker should stimulate job creation, especially for local workers.
Expatriates in Indonesia:
| 2011 |
2012 | 2013 | |
| Number of Expatriates Working in Indonesia |
77,307 | 72,427 | 68,957 |
Most foreign workers in Indonesia originate from China, Japan, South Korea, India and Malaysia. The sector in which most expatriates work is the trade and services sector (36,913 foreign workers), followed by industry (24,029) and agriculture (8,015).
Number of Foreign Workers:
| 2013 | |
| China | 14,371 |
| Japan |
11,081 |
| South Korea | 9,075 |
| India | 6,047 |
| Malaysia | 4,962 |
Ministry of Manpower & Transmigration