# Indonesian migrant workers

Indonesian migrant workers (Indonesian: Pekerja Migran Indonesia, PMI, formerly known as Tenaga Kerja Indonesia, TKI) are Indonesian citizens who work in countries outside of Indonesia.
Indonesia's population is the world's fourth-largest, and due to a shortage of domestic jobs, many Indonesians seek employment overseas. These migrant workers are mostly low-skilled and work in the domestic sector. They are prone to exploitation, extortion, physical and sexual abuses and human trafficking. Several cases of abuse have been reploted, some of which been picked up by international media.
It is estimated that around 4.5 million Indonesians work abroad. Roughly 70 percent are women, most of whom are employed in domestic sector (as maid or domestic helpers) or in the manufacturing sector. Migrant Indonesian men mostly work on plantations, in the construction or transportation industries or in the service sector. Most Indonesian migrants are in their prime work years, between 18 and 35 years old. However, cases of underage workers attaining employment with the aid of falsified documents have been reported.
Since 1969, the government of Indonesia has administered the recruitment of migrant labor. The public program has attracted criticism, with opponents claiming it unduly elevates the rights of private recruitment agents over those of the migrant workers they recruit.

## Statistics

Currently Malaysia employs the largest numbers of Indonesian migrant workers, followed by Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It is important to note that these are official numbers, the actual numbers might be far larger contributed by unrecorded illegal entry of Indonesian workers into foreign countries.

### Employer countries

Source:BNP2TKI
| Country | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014* |
| Malaysia | 134,120 | 134,023 | 150,236 | 107,085 |
| Taiwan | 78,865 | 81,071 | 83,544 | 68,874 |
| Saudi Arabia | 137,835 | 40,655 | 45,394 | 38,104 |
| Hong Kong | 50,301 | 45,478 | 41,769 | 30,208 |
| Singapore | 47,786 | 41,556 | 34,655 | 25,601 |
| United Arab Emirates | 39,917 | 35,571 | 44,505 | 15,276 |
| Oman | 7,306 | 8,836 | 10,719 | 15,035 |
| South Korea | 11,392 | 13,593 | 15,374 | 9,623 |
| Brunei | 10,804 | 13,146 | 11,269 | 9,298 |
| United States | 13,749 | 15,353 | 15,021 | 7,839 |
| Qatar | 16,616 | 20,380 | 16,237 | 6,872 |
| Bahrain | 4,379 | 6,328 | 5,384 | 4,535 |
| Japan | 2,508 | 3,293 | 3,042 | 2,093 |
| Kuwait | 2,723 | 2,518 | 2,534 | 1,530 |
| Turkey | 1,016 | 1,209 | 1,518 | 1,155 |
| Italy | 3,408 | 3,691 | 3,746 | 1,075 |
| China | 1,072 | 1,967 | 2,055 | 812 |
| Fiji | 556 | 970 | 848 | 809 |
| Canada | | | | 805 |
| Spain | 1,484 | 1,746 | 1,417 | 754 |
| Mauritius | 478 | 982 | 1,017 | 734 |
| Netherlands | 592 | 798 | 1,176 | 664 |
| Thailand | 1,113 | 1,035 | 1,041 | 597 |
| Germany | 299 | 697 | 1,168 | 518 |
| Australia | 526 | 945 | 1,012 | 441 |
| South Africa | 1,272 | 1,388 | 905 | 460 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | | | | 481 |
* to 31 October

### Job sector

| Employment type | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014* |
| Domestic Worker | 267,231 | 164,981 | 168,318 | 113,952 |
| Plantation Worker | 39,622 | 36,478 | 47,598 | 40,146 |
| Operator | 40,847 | 40,347 | 46,799 | 32,819 |
| Care Taker | 48,492 | 51,474 | 45,751 | 40,581 |
| Construction Worker | 5,625 | 11,141 | 15,580 | 6,779 |
| General Worker | 8,364 | 8,488 | 13,834 | 7,338 |
| Deck Hand | 4,509 | 12,283 | 11,249 | 8,904 |
| Worker (Man) | 33,398 | 17,030 | 9,249 | 2,041 |
| Able Body Seaman | 4,777 | 7,796 | 8,719 | 4,017 |
| Housekeepers | 14,643 | 16,006 | 8,301 | 4,759 |
| Operator Production | 1 | 1,913 | 5,856 | 6,244 |
| Labour | 17,098 | 19,493 | 5,854 | 4,270 |
| Fisherman | 4,371 | 5,213 | 5,559 | 3,988 |
| Driver | 0 | 974 | 4,746 | 6,945 |
| Production Operator | 3,745 | 5,163 | 4,664 | na |
| Gardener | 2,018 | 2,580 | 3,831 | 2,658 |
| Worker | 1,195 | 2,131 | 3,793 | 6,300 |
| Agricultural Labour | 6,814 | 3,201 | 3,604 | na |
| Waiter | 4,733 | 4,144 | 3,153 | 1,635 |
| Engineer | 2,339 | 2,939 | 3,115 | na |
* to 31 October

## In popular culture

* Nadila, a character in Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition, is an Indonesian migrant worker who works as a housekeeper in Japan.