A memorandum of understanding between the two countries will open 600,000 jobs to Indonesian workers

The Kingdom is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia ending the ten-year ban on sending Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia, both domestic and formal-sector, after securing guarantees that strengthen the protection of workers’ rights.

Ministers from both countries are due to sign the memorandum in Jeddah this month, with the aim of regulating the lawful recruitment of Indonesian workers, according to the Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers, Abdul Kadir Karding, who told Bloomberg that the programme would reopen after improvements to worker-protection systems in Saudi Arabia.

Indonesia had previously restricted labour exports to several Middle Eastern countries over concerns about mistreatment, but the ban drew criticism: it left an undocumented flow in place, with more than 25,000 domestic workers entering Saudi Arabia through informal channels each year. Data cited by Asharq Business indicates that Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia filed around 186 complaints last year, among the highest counts of migrant-worker complaints recorded for any country.

The new agreement provides for 600,000 jobs, 400,000 of them in domestic work and 200,000 in the formal sector, alongside a minimum wage of SAR 1,500 (about USD 399), which is above the minimum wage in Jakarta. It also sets out protective measures for workers, such as tighter oversight of employers and recruitment agencies.

If the agreement is signed soon, Indonesia may resume sending hundreds of thousands of workers to Saudi Arabia by June 2025.