Most N Sulawesi Migrant Workers Go To Singapore

Manado, August 2 (ANTARA) - Most migrant workers (TKI) from North Sulawesi province work in Singapore, according to the Head of Indonesian Migrant Worker Service, Placement and Protection (BP3TKI) Manado, Jefry Siregar. "In Singapore, most of the migrant workers from North Sumatera are working as housemaids or informal workers," he said here on Wednesday. From a total of 187 migrant workers from the province, Jefry said, Singapore accounted for 71 people. The second-largest recipient country is Hong Kong (with 52 migrant workers from North Sumatra), followed by Japan (33 workers). "The migrant workers in Japan are usually highly skilled and they work in the formal sector, while those in Singapore and Hong Kong work mostly as housemaids," he added. Most of the province�s migrant workers in Singapore work as independent contractors. Once their contract ends, they can still go back to Singapore if the employers need them. "Such things can happen if the relations between the employers and the workers are good," Jefry explained. Although the migrant workers are employed as housemaids, their salary is much higher than what they would earn if they worked as labourers in their home country. "A housemaid in these foreign countries earns more than Rp5 million (US$530), which is quite an attractive sum for local workers," Jefry said.