Makassar, 11 May 2026
The PELITA Project (Understanding the Education and Labor Market Consequences of Indonesia’s Quest to Become the World’s Leading Nurse Exporting Nation) held an Advisory Panel meeting and stakeholder consultation online via Zoom on 11 May 2026, from 13:30–14:30 WITA. The meeting was attended by 39 participants drawn from government ministries and agencies, professional organizations, industry partners, and the PELITA research team from LMU Munich, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Airlangga, and the Australian National University. The meeting was facilitated by Prof. Ferry Efendi of Universitas Airlangga.
Prof. Ferry Efendi opened the session by presenting the follow-up from the earlier kick-off meeting, including the results of coding the Advisory Panel’s input on the PELITA conceptual framework. The principal analytical approach used is the Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA) framework, with a focus on the education sector and the health workforce labor market. The three components of the conceptual framework raised for in-depth discussion were: (1) student characteristics, motivation, and professional preferences; (2) learning priorities, practice, and effectiveness; and (3) opportunities and decision-making in the labor market. All participants were invited to complete a Zoom poll to determine which concepts should be prioritized in the next research phase.
The discussion session drew substantive input from a range of stakeholders. A representative from the Directorate of Employment at BAPPENAS stressed the importance of viewing the employment dimension from three angles simultaneously: the supply side (nurses to be placed), the labor market side (global market dynamics), and the ecosystem side (standardization, competency, certification, as well as data and information). The migrant family background factor was also suggested for consideration as a variable that indirectly influences the motivation to work abroad, alongside the need to analyze the Brain Drain and Brain Gain phenomena in cross-variable analysis.
The Indonesian Nursing Council (KKI) highlighted the importance of incorporating the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) framework as a reference standard, as well as the need to clarify target segmentation between new graduates and experienced graduates. KKI also underscored that the main challenges for Indonesian nurses abroad are language ability and adaptation to technology, and recommended the need for an ethics briefing to anticipate problems that may arise during placement. The Indonesian National Nurses Association (PPNI) emphasized the importance of adding a post-education credentialing stage to the conceptual framework as a bridge between education and the labor market, and highlighted the need for contract literacy and an understanding of labor protection. Meanwhile, PT Binawan assessed the project’s conceptual framework as sound from upstream to downstream, but suggested that the specializations presented should not be limited to the hospital perspective alone.
From the Ministry of Health, the Directorate for the Provision of Health Workers noted that academic achievement does not yet have a standardized assessment between public and private universities, with the grade point index (IP) being the sole indicator, one deemed unreliable. The Directorate suggested that National Competency Test (UKOM) scores and students’ clinical practice experience be included as indicators of institutional capacity. The issues of financing and the risk of human trafficking were also cited as critical matters that need to inform future regulation. The Directorate for the Development and Empowerment of Health Workers emphasized the importance of studying protection systems so that workers are safe and comfortable during their assignments. The Directorate for the Utilization of Health Workers proposed that the research flow be reformulated from a one-way model into a two-way process or cycle that captures the workers’ return phase and knowledge transfer.
The Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) stated that research on migrants requires preliminary information on the regulations and working environment in destination countries. KP2MI also proposed the importance of a psychological dimension in preparing prospective workers, given that empirical data show the adaptation of Indonesian migrant workers abroad takes an average of 6–9 months a critical period whose impact can be minimized through stronger pre-departure preparation.
Overall, stakeholders stressed that PELITA’s research outputs must be actionable understandable and applicable by policymakers and must not stop at academic reporting alone. It was recommended that recommendations be delivered incrementally at each project milestone, rather than only at the end of the five-year period. A number of key recommendation points that were agreed upon include adding the credentialing stage to the conceptual framework; adding the variables of UKOM scores, clinical practice experience, the MRA framework, and psychological testing of prospective workers; as well as strengthening labor protection, contract literacy, and mitigation of human trafficking risk. The meeting closed with appreciation to all participants for the substantive input provided. The PELITA research team is committed to integrating this input into the revised conceptual framework and will consult the Advisory Panel again at the next follow-up meeting, planned for roughly three months ahead
