Policy Brief Issue 7 | October 2019 Why do Indonesian Men and Women Choose Undocumented Migration? Exploring Gender EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC GENDER Differences in Labor Migration Patterns INNOVATION LAB EAPGIL carries out impact evaluations KEY FINDINGS and inferential research to generate • Only about 1 in 10 Indonesians aged 18 to 40 and interested in migrating abroad know the requirements for documented migration evidence on what works in closing • Gender differences in the propensity to become undocumented migrants gender gaps in may be driven by time constraints due to higher care burden women face assets, economic opportunities, and agency, and how CONTEXT closing these gaps Migrant workers are a key part of Indonesia’s economy. The equivalent of almost 7% can help achieve of Indonesia’s labor force, an estimated 9 million people, work overseas. In 2016, over other development IDR 159 trillion (US$11.2 billion) was sent back to Indonesia in the form of remittances1. outcomes. Ultimately, Indonesians working abroad earn on average 4 times their wages from the last job at EAPGIL seeks to home, while receiving remittances from overseas workers reduce the probability of increase the welfare households being poor by 27%2. of women and men Undocumented migration increases risk and lowers returns to working abroad.3 Only in East Asia and the an estimated one-third of current Indonesian migrant workers have signed a contract prior Pacific by promoting to departure, and more than half do not have the required documents for migration4. the uptake of effective policies and  ormal remittances constitute about one percent of the country’s GDP. Source: KNOMAD. 2019. Migration and 1 F Development Brief 31. Washington DC: World Bank. programs identified Adams, R., & Cuecuecha, A. (2011). The Economic Impact of International Migration and Remittances on Poverty and 2  based on evidence. Household Consumption and Investment in Indonesia. Policy Research Working Paper 5433. To be considered documented, or procedural, a prospective migrant needs to have presented the required nine 3  documents (marriage certificate [if applicable], permission letter from parent/spouse/guardian, passport, visa, skills and health certificates, migrant worker placement agreement, employment agreement and BPJS social security membership number) to the local office of the national agency for migrant placement and protection. World Bank International Migration and Remittances Survey 2014 (WB-IMR 2014). 4  Consequently, they face multiple risks: from physical in target villages. Building on the findings in the recent violence to unsafe workplaces and economic Indonesia’s Global Workers report, we use our survey exploitation5. They are also less likely to reap the data to explore gender differences in the reasons why full benefits of migration: our data suggest that potential migrants may choose undocumented routes. undocumented migrants earn 24.9% lower wages abroad and send 43.6% less money home.6 WHAT DID WE FIND? Most Indonesians, including those interested in WHAT DID WE DO? migrating, do not have accurate information about A team of researchers from the World Bank, in documented migration. Only 10% of Indonesians cooperation with Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower surveyed could name the four primary documents (MoM), collected data on migration from 13,372 required to work abroad. The numbers did not greatly Indonesians between the ages of 18 and 40 in 179 increase with interest in migration: 12% of respondents villages across six provinces between July and October who expressed interest in migrating could name all in 2018.7 The data is from the baseline survey of an four documents (Figure 1). Men and women are equally impact evaluation of the MoM’s Desmigratif program, poorly informed. which facilitates documented migration through a set of innovative outreach methods, from now on referred to as Where people get their information is linked to how Indonesia Safe Migration Survey. Through Desmigratif, much they know and how they would migrate. If most MoM will build Migration Information Centers (MICs) potential migrants are unaware of the requirements for in target villages to make formal information more migration, where might they go to get that information? accessible for residents of rural areas. Two experimental Those respondents who intend to get information from interventions will complement MICs: a SMS-based formal sources are more knowledgeable about required application, which makes information on migration documents. For example, only 12% and 13% of those easily accessible and “edutainment” campaigns where relying on friends and on brokers9, respectively, can videos on migration will be screened in accessible areas name all the documents required for migration. The FIGURE 1: MOST RESPONDENTS ARE FIGURE 2: WHERE PEOPLE GET UNAWARE OF THE DOCUMENTS NEEDED INFORMATION MATTERS TO REGISTER FOR MIGRATION Figure 2: Share of respondents who are correct abou the Share of respondents interested in migration who documents needed for migration, by information source could name four documents necessary to register 35% formally, among those interested in migration 30% 25% 20% Female 12.8% 87.2% 15% 10% 5% Male 11.5% 88.5% 0% Friend Broker Internet Private Labor Government Placement Office 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Agency Yes No Men Women Source: Authors’ calculation using Indonesia’s Safe Migration Survey (ISMS) 2018. 8 Note: gender differences are not statistically significant  orld Bank. 2016. Indonesia’s Global Workers: Juggling Opportunity & Risks. Jakarta: World Bank. 5 W A note on the data provided further on in the brief. 6  Provinces surveyed were East Java, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara. 18 to 40 is the most common age 7  range for Indonesian foreign workers. As all data presented in this brief are from the Indonesia’s Safe Migration Survey 2018, reference to the source will be omitted henceforth. 8  Our study defines migration brokers as individuals who recruit overseas workers and often assist with job placement and paperwork. Under the Law of the 9  Republic of Indonesia Number 18 of 2017 on Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (e.g. Article 69), brokers are prohibited from being involved in the placement process. Therefore, Indonesians employed and placed using the assistance of brokers are more likely to not be recognized as documented migrants. fraction is about twice as high among those who rely men are 47.5% more likely than women to say they on private labor placement agency or government would register with a formal agency12. However, these agencies10: 24% and 26% respectively. Notably, gender differences are almost entirely driven by women with differences are within a range of 1 percentage point and children under the age of 15: women with no young not statistically significant (Figure 2). children show migration preferences that are nearly identical to those of men (Figure 5). Gender plays an important role in determining where migrants register to work abroad. Beyond sources of If women without young children show the same information, we also ask potential migrants where they preferences as men, what could be driving these would look for job vacancies11.Women are more likely differences for women who are taking care of children? to look for jobs through brokers, while men are more Women are more likely to bear the lion’s share of time- likely to rely on government agencies such as labor consuming childcare responsibilities. Labor offices and offices for their job search (Figure 3). Information sources other government agencies often require long travel times also matter for registration: both men and women who as they can be quite far from those in rural villages and say they would get information from brokers are much operate during limited number of hours13. Meanwhile, more likely to register through them as well (Figure 4). informal brokers are often located in potential migrants’ Notably, women are only more likely than men to register neighborhoods and can travel directly to their houses through brokers if they get information from them (Figure for recruitment or assistance with registration. Of the 4); among respondents who say they would not get respondents in our sample who were contacted by information with a broker, men are more likely to say they brokers, 47% were visited in their own homes, while would register with one. 34% visited the broker’s home. In addition, documented Time constraints may play a role in making women migration in Indonesia is a complicated process, requiring more vulnerable to undocumented migration. In at least 17 separate steps14. The time burden due to our overall sub-sample of respondents interested in gendered responsibilities may be a significant factor in working abroad, women are 25% more likely than men elevating the risk of undocumented migration among to say they would register through a broker. Conversely, Indonesian women. FIGURE 3: WOMEN ARE MORE VULNERABLE FIGURE 4: PEOPLE WHO WOULD GET TO UNDOCUMENTED MIGRATION INFORMATION FROM BROKERS ARE Places potential migrants would register for migration, by sex MORE LIKELY TO REGISTER WITH THEM Fraction of potential migrants who would register for migration through brokers, by sex 21.8% Government Agency 15.1% Private Labor 27.1% Would get Placement information Office 26.7% from other sources 7.1% Internet 5.7% Would get information 36.2% from a Broker broker 45.2% 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Men Women Men Women Note: dark bars represent statistically significant differences between sexes. Note: dark bars represent statistically significant differences between sexes. Government agencies include labor offices of the Ministry of Manpower and local offices of National Agency for the Protection and Placement of International 10  Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI). To become a documented migrant, one needs to apply for jobs that are approved by relevant government agencies. Brokers may have access to other jobs, 11  including the ones that were not approved by both labor-demanding countries and the Indonesian authorities. We convert percentage points from figure 3 into percent. 12  Government managed, labor offices are typically located in the district capital. The average distance between a village head’s office and the district capital is 13  45.6 km (PODES 2014). World Bank. 2019. Indonesia’s Migration System: Spotlight on the Documentation Process to Better Protect Overseas Workers. Washington D.C.: World Bank. 14  WHAT ARE THE POLICY IMPLICATIONS? 1. There is a need for dissemination of information about migration with a gender ACKNOWLEDGMENTS focus. Our data highlight the current lack of knowledge about documented migration This brief is a product among potential migrants in Indonesia, as well as the propensity of both men and women of collaboration to become undocumented migrants. Earlier studies suggest that men and women are between EAPGIL and vulnerable in different ways. While men are less likely to experience emotional and physical Poverty GP. It was abuse, they are still likely to become victims of financial exploitation. Top destinations for prepared by Forest men and women also vary: women are more likely to go as domestic workers to Middle Jarvis, Daniel Halim East, and men as farm and construction workers to Malaysia15. Information should be and Elizaveta Perova, targeted to men and women with gender-specific vulnerabilities in mind. with inputs from Ririn 2. Time constraints play an important role in increasing the risk of undocumented Purnamasari, Avi Astuti, migration. Most of the gender gap in intent to migrate through brokers is explained by Astrid Savitri, Soonhwa differences between mothers with and without children, suggesting a time constraint. Yi, Aneesh Mannava Combined with lengthy and complicated procedures, this time constraint may prevent and Ganesh Seshan. women from following documented route. An important first step is simplification and We gratefully shortening of the documentation process for formal migration16. Additionally, innovative acknowledge funding methods to reach time-constrained potential migrants may go a long way in reducing their from the Umbrella propensity to rely on informal sources. One option could be investing in making information Facility for Gender remotely accessible, for example, through digital media and/or migration information Equality (UFGE) to hotlines. Digital access to information can be useful for migrants who may not be able carry out this work. spare the time or incur travel costs associated with visiting MICs or labor offices. Moreover, EAPGIL is supported digital media are a cost-effective way of providing standardized information on migration. by UFGE in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign FIGURE 5: WOMEN’S MIGRATION PREFERENCES ONLY DIFFER FROM MEN’S WHEN THEY HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN Affairs and Trade. % who would register through brokers and labor offices UFGE has received 60% generous contributions Broker 50% from Australia, Bill  Government & Melinda Gates 40% Office Foundation, Canada, 30% Denmark, Finland, 20% Germany, Iceland, 10% Latvia, Netherlands, 0% Norway, Spain, Men Women Men Women Sweden, Switzerland, Respondents with young children Respondents with no children United Kingdom, and Note: Dark bars show statistically significant differences between sexes. the United States. 3. Information should be disseminated in more diverse ways. Our data underscore the many ways in which potential migrants get their information about migration, and the different ways in which they migrate abroad. Information dissemination should reflect this diversity. Aside from setting up MICs in more remote areas, as is currently being implemented in the FOR MORE INFORMATION Ministry of Manpower’s Desmigratif program, information could also be spread through more innovative measures. This would include technology-based methods such a SMS Elizaveta Perova, EAPGIL campaigns on legal migration and screening of migration-related films in accessible areas.17 eperova@worldbank.org This “edutainment” intervention can provide information in a more accessible format, make Ririn Salwa Purnamasari, risks associated with migration more salient, and has been proven to be an effective way of EAP POV changing behavior in other contexts.18 rpurnamasari@worldbank.org www.worldbank.org/eapgil World Bank. 2016. Indonesia’s Global Workers: Juggling Opportunity & Risks. Jakarta: World Bank. 15   16World Bank. 2019. Indonesia’s Migration System: Spotlight on the Documentation Process to Better Protect Overseas Workers. Washington D.C.: World Bank See World Bank, 2019, “Indonesia: Information Dissemination to Achieve Safe Labor Migration”, for further discussions 17  on promising information dissemination strategies. Banerjee, A., La Ferrara, E., Orozco, V., 2015. Changing Norms and Behavior of Young People in Nigeria: An Evaluation 18  of Entertainment TV. Bocconi University, Mimeo.