The Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration minister confirmed on Sunday that that the government will not be lifting a moratorium on the dispatch of migrant workers to the Middle East due to poor work conditions.

Speaking with residents of Indramayu, West Java, the minister, Muhaimin Iskandar stated that "[The dispatch of migrant workers to] Jordan is under a threat of permanent closure because of low salaries and inadequate social guarantees”.

The government is also imposing a moratorium on the dispatch of migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria. In addition, the dispatch of workers to Yemen has been suspended due to political unrest.

Since much of Indonesia’s national income derives from remittances, however, the government have been careful to advise would-be migrant workers to seek work elsewhere.

"Given the moratorium, we ask PJTKI [migrant worker placement firms] to try to switch the dispatch of migrant workers, for instance, from Saudi Arabia to Malaysia to which a moratorium on the dispatch of Indonesian migrant workers has just been lifted," he said.

“Don`t force yourself to seek overseas employment merely because of strong desire or economic pressure”.

Read the full article from Antara News here.