Indonesia formulates roadmap for domestic worker governance

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2 hours ago

Nagekeo, NTT (ANTARA) -Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower has confirmed that it is devising a roadmap for the governance of domestic workers following the enactment of Law No. 2 of 2026 on the Protection of Domestic Workers.

Head of the ministry’s Manpower Planning and Development Agency, Anwar Sanusi, said the roadmap is intended to provide a more concrete framework for regulating the sector, with a focus on workers’ competency development and protection.

In a statement received here on Wednesday, he explained that the initiative marks a shift in the country’s perception of domestic workers, moving away from viewing them merely as servants or household helpers toward recognizing them as part of the workforce.

“This means that, as workers, they are entitled to labor rights,” Sanusi said.

He added that the renewed perception should be accompanied by a clearer and more comprehensive regulatory framework that adequately addresses domestic workers’ competency development and employment arrangements, given their significant role in the care economy.

“For that reason, the Manpower Ministry deems it necessary to establish competency standards tailored to the characteristics of domestic workers in Indonesia,” he said.

Sanusi emphasized the importance of benchmarking competency standards for Indonesians working as domestic workers overseas and adapting them to domestic conditions and needs, with the aim of professionally improving the quality of domestic services in Indonesia.

“Developing a roadmap is important to provide a clear direction for building a system of domestic worker governance in stages,” he said.

He added that the roadmap is expected to serve as a reference for the government in developing a system that ensures rights protection and promotes professionalism among domestic workers.

“Going forward, we must have a clear roadmap to transform domestic work into a recognized profession,” he said.