JAKARTA: Indonesia is looking to deepen its labor relations with Qatar through joint job training and exchange of expertise following talks between their manpower ministers, the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower said on Friday.
More than 37,000 Indonesians live and work in Qatar, making it one of the top 10 destinations for Indonesian migrant workers. Most are employed in the energy, hospitality and construction sectors.
Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Manpower Minister Yassierli held a meeting with his Qatari counterpart, Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, on the sidelines of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers in Doha, where they discussed ways to strengthen labor ties.
“Indonesia and Qatar have big opportunities to build a more concrete and mutually beneficial partnership, whether through joint job training, internship programs, as well as exchange of expertise in the areas of productivity and work safety,” Yassierli said in a statement issued by his office.
Jakarta is keen on creating new opportunities for its young workforce through government-to-government special apprenticeship visa or intra-corporate transfer programs with Qatar’s leading companies, such as Qatar Airways and QatarEnergy.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is also seeking further collaboration with Qatar on job training in the farming and construction sectors.
“With the spirit of collaboration and solidarity among OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) countries, we can create a world of work that is inclusive, equitable, and oriented towards the welfare of the workforce,” Yassierli said.
His meeting in Doha this week follows talks between senior officials of Indonesia’s Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection and Qatar’s Ministry of Labor in July, where they discussed the potential for more Qatari recruitment of Indonesian workers.
Increasing labor cooperation has been one of the main focuses in the growth of Indonesia-Qatar relations in recent years.
Earlier in April, sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia announced the formation of a $4 billion joint fund with the Qatar Investment Authority, an initiative that will focus on projects in Indonesia’s downstream industries and sectors that process Indonesian commodities, including renewables.
