Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia and Switzerland signed the Agreement on the Exchange of Young Professionals (YP Agreement) as a bilateral scheme of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IE-CEPA) in the Bundeshaus, Bern, Switzerland.

“We hope that this agreement would bring benefits to the two countries in improving job performance, especially for young professionals,” said the Director General for Development of Employment Services and Employment Opportunities at the Ministry of Labor Suhartono in his statement here on Saturday.

The YP agreement was proposed by Indonesia at IE-CEPA to offer quota guarantees for young skilled workers as a prerequisite for work in both countries. Another goal is to strengthen the skills of these professionals.

In the agreement, the exchange of young workers encompasses all professions and follows the approval process based on laws and regulations. The approved quota for the YP agreement is 50 participants per year and can be increased to 100.

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In order to be able to take advantage of the services of the YP Agreement, young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 must complete at least two years of part-time training and have a corresponding certificate of completion of their studies.

In addition, it is expected that the opportunities in all professions do not violate the applicable rules in Indonesia and Switzerland.

If the requirements are met, young professionals will be granted a work permit for 12 months and can be extended to up to six months. The permit takes the form of an entry and residence permit. Participants in the accepted YP agreement must work on the basis of the contract.

The contract contains the rights and obligations such as working conditions, salary and taxes, which depend on the country in which they work. In addition, the salary must reflect the local minimum wage, occupation and expertise.

The Director of Trade and Services Negotiations at the Ministry of Commerce, Iskandar Panjaitan, stated that the YP agreement was Indonesia’s invitation to Switzerland during the IE-CEPA negotiations, as an obligation of Indonesia and the EFTA states in the implementation of the economic partnership.

“Indonesia will get more benefits from this agreement. It is hoped that Indonesia can optimize its benefits through the coordination of the Ministry of Labor,” said Panjaitan.

When the agreement was signed, Indonesia was represented by Suhartono, while Switzerland named Ambassador Vincenzo Mascioli, Director for International Affairs of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), as a signatory.
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