Regulatory Disharmony in Indonesia’s Zero-Cost Migrant Worker Placement Policy
Reconciling Ministerial Regulation No. 17 of 2025 with Law No. 18 of 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24252/al-risalah.v26i2.70701Keywords:
Legal Disharmonization; Zero-Cost Placement; Indonesian Migrant Workers; Hierarchy Of Norms; Legal Protection.Abstract
This study examines the regulatory disharmony in the zero-cost policy governing the placement of Indonesian migrant workers (IMWs) following the enactment of Regulation of the Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers No. 17 of 2025, particularly its compatibility with Law No. 18 of 2017 and its implications for the legal protection of IMWs in the informal sector. This study employs doctrinal legal research using statutory, case, and comparative approaches. The legal materials are analyzed qualitatively through grammatical, systematic, and teleological interpretation, complemented by prescriptive legal analysis. The research gap lies in the absence of an integrated study examining Ministerial Regulation No. 17 of 2025 through the Kelsen-Nawiasky hierarchy of norms and the ultra vires doctrine while linking its legal deficiencies to the risk of debt bondage. The findings demonstrate that Article 3 of Ministerial Regulation No. 17 of 2025 is substantively inconsistent with Article 30(1) of Law No. 18 of 2017, resulting in normative inconsistency and an ultra vires exercise of regulatory authority. This disharmony undermines preventive and remedial legal protection, erodes legal certainty, creates disparities in protection across destination countries, and heightens the risk of debt bondage among IMWs in the informal sector. This study contributes to the literature by identifying two layers of legal defects and examining their implications for migrant worker protection within a unified analytical framework. It recommends revising Article 3, initiating judicial review before the Supreme Court, and strengthening bilateral agreements based on the employer pays principle. These measures are necessary to restore the vertical consistency of the regulatory framework, ensure equal protection, prevent exploitation through placement fees, and strengthen fair national labor migration governance.
References
Adhikari, Santosh, and Bimala Khatri. “Labour Migration Market and Policy Failure: A Comparative Study of the Philippines and Nepal.” Journal of International Development 36, no. 2 (2024): 1407–1425. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3865.
Aditya, Zaka Firma, dan M. Reza Winata. “Rekonstruksi Hierarki Peraturan Perundang-Undangan di Indonesia.” Negara Hukum: Membangun Hukum untuk Keadilan dan Kesejahteraan 9, no. 1 (2018): 79–100. https://doi.org/10.22212/jnh.v9i1.976.
Badan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia (BP2MI). Data Penempatan Bulanan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Periode Januari 2025. Jakarta: BP2MI, 2025.
Badan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia (BP2MI). Laporan Tahunan Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Tahun 2024. Jakarta: BP2MI, 2025.
Basok, Tanya, Eric M. Tucker, Leah F. Vosko, C. Susana Caxaj, Jenna L. Hennebry, Stephanie Mayell, Janet McLaughlin, and Anelyse M. Weiler. “The ‘Contract’ and Its Discontents: Can It Address Protection Gaps for Migrant Agricultural Workers in Canada?” International Migration 63, no. 1 (2025): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13121.
Blank, Nathan R. “Making Migration Policy: Reflections on the Philippines’ Bilateral Labor Agreements.” Asian Politics & Policy 3, no. 2 (2011): 185–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1943-0787.2011.01255.x.
Butt, Simon. “Judicial Reasoning and Review in the Indonesian Supreme Court.” Asian Journal of Law and Society 6, no. 1 (2018): 67–97. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2018.26.
Davidson, Julia O’Connell “Troubling Freedom: Migration, Debt, and Modern Slavery.” Migration Studies 1, no. 2 (2013): 176–195. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mns002.
Efendi, A’an. “Problematik Penataan Jenis dan Hierarki Peraturan Perundang-Undangan.” Veritas et Justitia 5, no. 1 (2019): 20–48. https://doi.org/10.25123/vej.v5i1.3172.
ElDidi, Hagar, Chloe van Biljon, Muzna Alvi, Claudia Ringler, Nazmun Ratna, Sawsan Abdulrahim, Patrick Kilby, Joyce Wu, and Zahid ul Arefin Choudhury. “Reducing Vulnerability to Forced Labour and Trafficking of Women Migrant Workers from South- to West-Asia.” Development in Practice 33, no. 2 (2023): 156–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2022.2059448.
Hadjon, Philipus M. Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Rakyat Indonesia. Surabaya: Bina Ilmu, 1987.
Herdiman, Heru, Maryano, dan Nur Hakim. "Kepastian Hukum Pembiayaan dalam Upaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia di Luar Negeri." Corpus Juris 2, no. 1 (2026): 15. https://doi.org/10.62335/corpusjuris.v2i1.2434.
Hidayat. “Perlindungan Hak Tenaga Kerja Indonesia di Taiwan dan Malaysia dalam Perspektif Hak Asasi Manusia.” Jurnal HAM 8, no. 2 (2017): 105–115. https://doi.org/10.30641/ham.2017.8.105-115.
Hoang, Lan Anh. “Debt and (Un)freedoms: The Case of Transnational Labour Migration from Vietnam.” Geoforum 116 (2020): 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2020.08.001.
International Labour Organization. General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs. Geneva: ILO, 2019.
International Labour Organization. Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. Geneva: ILO, 2022.
International Labour Organization. Konvensi ILO Nomor 181 Tahun 1997 tentang Agen Penempatan Swasta.
International Organization for Migration. Migration Governance Indicators: Republic of Indonesia Profile 2024. Geneva: IOM, 2024.
Iqbal, Muhammad, and Fifik Wiryani. “Implication of Principles in the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in Law No. 18 of 2017 in an Effort to Protect Indonesian Migrant Workers Abroad.” Audito Comparative Law Journal (ACLJ) 1, no. 2 (2020): 85–93. https://doi.org/10.22219/audito.v1i2.13761.
Joyce, Arwen. “Reducing Worker Exploitation in Time-Limited, Low-Wage Visa Schemes: Lessons from South Korea and Thailand.” Industrial Law Journal 53, no. 1 (2024): 34–62. https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwad035.
Junaidi, Muhammad, and Khikmah Khikmah. “Perlindungan Hukum dan Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia di Luar Negeri.” Jurnal USM Law Review 7, no. 1 (2024): 490–501. https://doi.org/10.26623/julr.v7i1.8127.
Kelsen, Hans. General Theory of Law and State. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1945.
Keputusan Kepala BP2MI Nomor 255 Tahun 2023 tentang Biaya Penempatan PMI di Malaysia.
Keputusan Kepala BP2MI Nomor 256 Tahun 2023 tentang Biaya Penempatan PMI di Hong Kong.
Keputusan Kepala BP2MI Nomor 50 Tahun 2023 tentang Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia di Taiwan.
Lan, Pei-Chia. "Shifting Borders and Migrant Workers' Im/mobility: The Case of Taiwan during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 31, no. 3 (2022): 225–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968221127495.
Mahy, Petra. “Indonesia’s Omnibus Law on Job Creation: Legal Hierarchy and Responses to Judicial Review in the Labour Cluster of Amendments.” Asian Journal of Comparative Law 17, no. 1 (2022): 51–75. https://doi.org/10.1017/asjcl.2022.7.
Maria Farida Indrati S. Ilmu Perundang-Undangan: Jenis, Fungsi, dan Materi Muatan. Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2020.
Marzuki, Peter Mahmud. Penelitian Hukum. Jakarta: Kencana, 2019.
Nawiasky, Hans. Allgemeine Rechtslehre als System der rechtlichen Grundbegriffe. Einsiedeln: Benziger Verlag, 1948.
Palmer, Wayne, dan Nicola Piper. "Regulatory (Mal)Integration: Its Implications for Migrant Workers' Ability to Access Employment Rights in Indonesia." Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies 21, no. 2 (2023): 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2022.2142349.
Palmer, Wayne, Michele Ford, dan Benni Hasbiyalloh. "Regulating Recruitment and Contracting of Migrant Fishers from Indonesia." Asian and Pacific Migration Journal (2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231210760.
Peraturan Badan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Nomor 09 Tahun 2020 tentang Pembebasan Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia.
Peraturan Menteri Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 tentang Biaya Penempatan.
Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 59 Tahun 2021 tentang Pelaksanaan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia.
Pratama, Juwita Putri, Lita Tyesta ALW, dan Sekar Anggun Gading Pinilih. “Eksistensi Kedudukan Peraturan Menteri terhadap Peraturan Daerah dalam Hierarki Peraturan Perundang-Undangan.” Jurnal Konstitusi 19, no. 4 (2022): 865–885. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk1947.
Rahayu, D., D. I. Supaat, dan M. Yusuf. "The Neglect of Protection for Undocumented Migrant Workers within the Framework of Human Rights Law." Legality: Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum 32, no. 2 (2024): 374–393. https://doi.org/10.22219/ljih.v32i2.34993.
Ramadhan, Febriansyah, Sunarto Efendi, dan Ilham Dwi Rafiqi. “Penentuan Jenis Produk Hukum dalam Pelaksanaan Putusan Mahkamah Agung tentang Hak Uji Materil: Kajian terhadap Tindak Lanjut Putusan Mahkamah Agung 28 P/HUM/2018.” Jurnal Rechts Vinding: Media Pembinaan Hukum Nasional 11, no. 1 (2022): 55–76. https://doi.org/10.33331/rechtsvinding.v11i1.850.
Ridwan. “Eksistensi dan Urgensi Peraturan Menteri dalam Penyelenggaraan Pemerintahan Sistem Presidensial.” Jurnal Konstitusi 18, no. 4 (2022): 828–845. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk1845.
Rosalina, Henny Natasha, and Lazarus Tri Setyawanta. “Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Pekerja Migran Sektor Informal dalam Perspektif Teori Bekerjanya Hukum di Masyarakat.” Jurnal Pembangunan Hukum Indonesia 2, no. 2 (2020): 174–187. https://doi.org/10.14710/jphi.v2i2.174-187.
Rusli, Tami. “Pembangunan Hukum Hak Asasi Manusia di Indonesia dalam Era Globalisasi.” Keadilan Progresif 2, no. 2 (2011): 111–122. https://jurnal.ubl.ac.id/index.php/KP/article/view/81.
Saito, Y., dan H. Uozumi. "Promoting Safe and Skilled Labour Migration: Implementation and Challenges in Indonesia's Labour Migration Policies." International Migration (2025). https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.70091.
Satria, Indah, Gilang Prayoga, Aulia Oktarizka Vivi Puspita Sari A.P., and Sanyyah Majidah. “Implementation Analysis of Article 102 Item 2 of Law Number 13 of 2003 Regarding Manpower: Study on the Federation of Indonesian Pulp and Paper Work Unions.” Constitutional Law Society 1, no. 1 (2022): 99–109. https://doi.org/10.36448/cls.v1i1.22.
Soekanto, Soerjono, dan Sri Mamudji. Penelitian Hukum Normatif: Suatu Tinjauan Singkat. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers, 2015.
Triana, Ayu, Rini Irianti Sundari, and Arinto Nurcahyono. “Perlindungan Hukum Pekerja Migran Indonesia Sektor Informal Atas Pembebanan Biaya Penempatan Oleh Perusahaan Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia.” Pagaruyuang Law Journal 9, no. 1 (2025): 20–32. https://doi.org/10.31869/plj.v0i0.6884.
Triana, Ayu. "Perlindungan Hukum Pekerja Migran Indonesia Sektor Informal Atas Pembebanan Biaya Penempatan Oleh Perusahaan Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia." Pagaruyuang Law Journal 9, no. 1 (2025): 1–15.
Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945.
Undang-Undang Nomor 12 Tahun 2011 tentang Pembentukan Peraturan Perundang-undangan sebagaimana diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 13 Tahun 2022.
Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia.
Wilhelm, Miriam, Alin Kadfak, Vikram Bhakoo, and Kate Skattang. “Private Governance of Human and Labor Rights in Seafood Supply Chains: The Case of the Modern Slavery Crisis in Thailand.” Marine Policy 115 (2020): 103833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103833.
Yusriza, B. "The Political Economy of Unfree Labor and the State: An Indonesian Case Study." Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 29, no. 1 (2020): 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0117196820925656.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Meidi, Tami Rusli
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
