Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Sat, May 14 2011
Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - The government will offer at least 7,000 job opportunities in the marine and fishery sector to job seekers at an upcoming International Job Fair on Marine and Fisheries (I`JO F.M 2011).
As part part of the government`s effort to reduce unemployment and to improve the people`s welfare, the I`JO F.M 2011 will be held in Jakarta May 23-25, 2011 to net as many workers as possible.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said here early this week that many countries had expressed their interest in recruiting Indonesian sailors in overseas marine and fishery related industries.
"Following increasing demand for Indonesian sailors from many countries, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) will make a new breakthrough to accommodate the request," Fadel said on Wednesday.
The maritime affairs and fisheries minister admitted that during his visits to Europe, many shipping companies had told him that they needed a lot of Indonesian manpower for their cruise ships.
Fadel said many countries in Europe needed more Indonesian sailors because their own people were no longer interested in seafaring jobs.
According to him, there were a lot of job opportunities abroad for Indonesian sailors and therefore his office would make a breakthrough by creating a cross-ministerial program in the form of International Job Fair on Marine and Fisheries (I`JO F.M 2011).
The minister explained that his office in cooperation with Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, National Education Ministry, and Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry would organize the I`JO F.M 2011.
Meanwhile, head of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry`s Department of Human Resources Development, Syarief Widjaya, said the I`JO F.M 2011 would be the biggest event this year.
Syarif said the event would be participated in by at least 50 leading national and international companies in maritime and fisheries fields, such as fishing companies, fish farming companies, marine and fisheries product processing companies, labor recruitment agencies and other companies.
The International Job Fair on Marine and Fisheries will be a perfect event for job seekers, marine and fisheries related education and training promotion, consultation, job applicants interview, direct recruitment for job applicants, and for opportunity to go abroad.
Syarif also explained that the national and international leading companies in the I`JO F.M 2011 would provide the Indonesian job seekers with around 7,000 job opportunities.
He said various job opportunities were among others in the fields of fishing, aquaculture, and fishery products processing and marketing would be offered to around 30,000 people who were expected visit the international job fair.
Other sectors to be offered to the job seekers in the fair are coastal regions and small islands management especially the area management and conservation of marine tourism, captains, the crews, vessel mechanics, and chefs, fish packing or canning officers, and fisheries shipping transportation services.
In a bid to arrange and manage the increasing overseas demand for marine and fisheries related manpower from Indonesia, Syarif said the government would soon build a marine manpower office.
"The joint marine manpower office is supported by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, National Education Ministry, and Transportation Ministry," Syarief Widjaya said.
He said the joint marine manpower office, expected to permanently organize the International Job Fair on Marine and Fisheries every year, would be declared at the closure of the I`JO F.M 2011.
Besides, he added that the office of the cross-ministerial cooperation would also provide Indonesian job seekers in marine and fishery field with information about job opportunities.
He also said a lot of Indonesian sailors were working abroad at present in the fields of shipping sector, fishery management industries, and aquaculture.
Therefore Indonesian Seamen Association (KPI) Secretary Sonny Pattiselano said the government should consider the protection and safety of Indonesian sailors who were working abroad.
Sonny also highlighted the gap between domestic legislation and international policy, and said that there should be well integrated consolidation rules.
"The involvement of labor union in industrial relations in the maritime and fisheries sector should also be taken into account," Sonny said.
According to maritime affairs minister Fadel Muhammad, around 12,000 Indonesian men are currently working on board various ocean liners across international waters.
"There are around 12,000 Indonesian workers on board both domestic and foreign ships which sail across international waters at present," Fadel said in an economic-related dialog on April 12, 2011.
Fadel admitted that he obtained the data about the number after a hijacking incident of an Indonesian ship with 20 crews by Somali pirates in March.
The minister explained that thousands of Indonesian sailors spread in various regions in Asia and Europe.
According to the minister, there were around 2,000 Indonesian sailors in Spain, 600 in Taiwan, and 400 in Thailand, and 3,000 in Japan.
Therefore he said the sailors had been asked to form an association amongst Indonesian seamen.
"I have asked them to form the association and to remain getting in touch with with Indonesian embassies abroad," Fadel said.
Meanwhile, data from Transportation Ministry in 2010 indicated that the Indonesian sailors working abroad could generate foreign exchange to about one billion dollars per year.
