Empowering migrant workers through multi-helix governance: the Indonesia–Malaysia corridor
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26618/ojip.v16i2.22064Keywords:
Indonesian migrant workers, multi-helix governance, collaborative governance, empowerment, post-return reintegrationAbstract
The Indonesia–Malaysia migration corridor hosts 550,000 documented and over one million undocumented Indonesian migrant workers (PMI), yet lacks a governance framework integrating migration stages from pre-placement through post-return, into a unified empowerment model. This study examines the roles, collaboration, inhibiting factors, and strategic recommendations for strengthening multi-stakeholder synergy through a multi-helix governance approach to PMI empowerment in Malaysia. Using a qualitative single-case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine informants (Indonesian Embassy officials, civil society organizations/CSOs, migrant workers, and shelter residents) in Kuala Lumpur in February 2026, supplemented by document analysis and processed using NVivo 14. Findings reveal seven key actors sharing 68 responsibilities concentrated heavily during employment (47%), with the post-return stage most neglected, marked by circular migration, failed reintegration, and the private sector withdrawal. Three systemic barriers emerged: bureaucratic rigidity, weak cross-border law enforcement, and PMI vulnerability. This study introduces a “protection paradox,”whereby stricter bilateral regulations inadvertently drive informal migration, and proposes a tiered framework repositioning CSOs as institutionalized first responders while integrating village-based post-return mentoring, offering practical guidance for policymakers across Southeast Asian labor migration corridors.
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