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How Indonesian Migrant Workers In ASEAN Region Coped With Pandemic Hardships And The ‘Infodemic’ – OpEd

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Eurasia Review 

The role of migrant workers in the ASEAN region is crucial to the economies of the region. The mobility of labour enables workers to move around countries in southeast Asia to work in various sectors such as construction, plantation, manufacturing, domestic work and services.

Within the ASEAN region, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam are the major “supplier” of foreign labor, whereas, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are the major “receiving” countries where the migrant workers go to work. Malaysia sees the largest number of migrant flows in the region. Migrant workers fill critical labour shortages in nations where there are not enough domestic workers. On the one hand, businesses gain as they are in a position to produce more goods, thereby boosting their productivity. On the other hand, the remittances sent by migrant workers back home support their families and also stimulating the economies of home countries.

However, despite their economic contributions migrant workers face several public health challenges which often put their health and even lives at risk. Workers face occupational hazards due to dangerous nature of their work. These include the risk of injury, exposure to toxins and not to mention the long working hours that could be physically demanding. At times, there are as many as 8 to 12 persons housed in a single room or dorm. These overcrowded and often unsanitary housing contributes to the spread of infectious diseases. Financial constraints and the pressure to send money back home further exacerbates the situation as it prevents them to seek proper medical disgnosis and treatment. Isolation, discrimination, sometimes undocumented status, impacts the mental health of these migrant workers.

ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers is a document adopted by ASEAN member countries in 2007 that outlines the responsibilities of both receiving and sending states in ensuring the protection of fundamental human rights of migrant workers. The document also acknowledged the right of each member state’s right as a sovereign state to determine its migration policies. While of the obligation of the receiving states is to ensure the provision of fair employment conditions and access to legal systems, the sending states had an obligation to offer alternative employment opportunities, worker protection, and reintegration upon returning home. The declaration also expects all the ASEAN nations to achieve decent work conditions for migrants, prevent human trafficking, capacity building, training programs, and assistance to migrant workers in crisis circumstances.

It has been 17 years since this declaration was signed.

Migrant workers are vital to the economies of many ASEAN member countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. These workers work in other regions or nations to fend for themselves and their families back home. The Indonesian migrant workers, in particular, significantly represent the labor force of these countries. However, despite their contributions, they face numerous challenges, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting “infodemic—a flood of misinformation.” Here I examine the condition of such Indonesian migrant workers in ASEAN, focusing on their coping strategies during COVID-19 and highlighting their struggles and resilience. While Malaysia is one of the preferred countries for Indonesians seeking employment, cases will also be drawn from other ASEAN countries to give a more extensive view of the regional issues.

The labor challenges—limited access to healthcare, wage exploitation, and poor living standards have always been the major problems for Indonesian migrant workers in ASEAN countries. These issues are well observed in countries such as Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia where they work in domestic services, construction and agriculture.

Past studies have pointed to working conditions among Indonesian workers in the Thai fishing industry which include low safety levels. Furthermore, domestic workers who have been the pillars of Indonesian households back home had been subject to wage thefts and long working hours as mobility was restricted. (International Labor Organization, 2020).

Indonesian workers in the region were also the hardest hit by the pandemic as many of them either lost their jobs or had to face wage cuts. Research conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2024 revealed that a greater number of these workers could not return to Indonesia because of the closure of borders, and were living in their host countries, vulnerable and neglected (International Organization for Migration, 2024).

Most of these migrant workers lived in overcrowded dormitories with a higher risk of spreading COVID 19. For instance, in Singapore, such accommodation facilities were found to be among the main sources of COVID-19 in 2020.

Nonetheless, Indonesian migrant workers stayed resilient in various ways during these challenging situations. The ASEAN community networks have acted as a bridge, especially in the time of the pandemic. For instance, Indonesian workers in Thailand were dependent on the informal social support structures which allowed to them to share resources and verified information. It was also a source of emotional backing during these difficult times. The domestic workers in Singapore utilized digital platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook to stay connected by sharing experiences and important information regarding safety and health​ measures (International Organization for Migration, 2024)

Another important development during the pandemic was combating misinformation using digital platforms. During COVID-19, the "infodemic" resulted in widespread disinformation related to vaccines, safety measures, and government policies. Limited access to accurate information in the native language, also made Indonesian migrant workers easy prey for such falsehoods. Virtual ethnography—a methodology focused on online communities has shown that migrant workers turned to online platforms to confirm such information and talk about their rights. For instance, Indonesian workers in Malaysia resorted to using digital media to demystify rumors surrounding COVID-19 vaccines and pass relevant health information (Human Rights Watch, 2023; International Labor Organization, 2020).

Furthermore, financial coping strategies have also evolved during this time. Most Indonesian migrant workers, especially domestic ones and construction workers had to work multiple jobs to fill in the income gap. In Thailand for example, Indonesian workers employed in the fishing industry despite health risks still worked in stringent conditions to feed their families back home (Globalization and Health, 2021). These efforts were complemented by remittance systems which continued to function during the pandemic but with less amount in people’s pockets because of wage deductions.

Indonesian migrant workers irrespective of ASEAN nation they were working in, experienced similar problems; some countries however implemented suitable policies. For instance, Thailand enacted emergency labor laws aiming to safeguard the rights of migrant workers especially in sectors like; farming, and fishing, among others. Still, its implementation was not standardized; many workers claimed that the protection of labor rights was poor​ (International Labor Organization, 2020).

On one hand, construction and plantation Indonesian workers in Malaysia have been vulnerable at the time of the pandemic. Although regional development frameworks such as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indonesia and Malaysia aimed at enhancing protections for these workers was enacted at the height of pandemic in 2022, its implementation had been, however, slow, hence depriving the workers the adequate protection (International Organization for Migration, 2024).

On the other hand, Singapore imposed and enhanced healthcare policies in worker dormitories and provided access to healthcare to migrants during the pandemic. However, as highlighted by the Globalization and Health Journal (2021), several Indonesian workers expressed reluctance in seeking medical care to avoid being deported as several of these workers were either undocumented or lacked proper work permits. ​

Interestingly, during the pandemic social media and other technologies have played a vital part in building support for lonely and vulnerable Indonesian migrant workers. Virtual ethnography, as mentioned earlier, studies online interactions, indicated that migrant workers relied on Social Media more to communicate and seek support. Specifically, while WhatsApp became important in the sharing of factual news, Facebook groups allowed migrants to remain close to their loved ones in Indonesia​ (International Organization for Migration, 2024).

Nations like Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia have taken measures to provide adequate protection to migrant workers during the pandemic, but much is needed to be done to safeguard their health as well. The bilateral agreements been Indonesia and Malaysia did hold good promise but there was a need for stronger enforcement so that the labor rights and health of these workers could be better safeguarded.

Regarding the measures for enhancing the resilience of migrant labor systems, the following actions could be considered: enhancing the legal protection of the migrants, increasing access to credible information and improving the digital competencies of prospective migrant workers.

The project is supported by Universiti Malaya project number: ST041-2023

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