Foreign Workers in Indonesia Only Account for 0.04% of the Total Population

Based on data from the Ministry of Manpower, the number of Foreign Workers (TKA) in Indonesia until the end of 2018 was 95,335 workers. This number is only 0.04% of Indonesia's total population of 268 million, or 0.07% of the total national workforce. This percentage is smaller than in several other countries, as shown in the graph below.

For comparison, the number of foreign workers in Malaysia is 3.3 million, or 10.06% of its total population. Singapore has 1.1 million foreign workers, or 19.36% of its population. Even in the United Arab Emirates, foreign workers reach 8.4 million, or 87.55% of the total population.

Reports of an influx of foreign workers into Indonesia, making it difficult for Indonesian job seekers, are inaccurate and the situation remains under control. Compared to the number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) working abroad, which reaches 9 million according to a World Bank survey, the number of foreign workers in Indonesia is still within normal limits. The increase in the number of foreign workers entering Indonesia is partly a result of the increase in foreign investment in Indonesia.