Optimizing The Role Of Bpjs Ketenagakerjaan Medan City In Fulfilling The Social Security Rights Of Migrant Workers

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the optimization of legal protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) through strengthening access to social security within the working area of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI) of North Sumatra. Legal protection through social security is mandated by Law Number 18 of 2017, which requires every migrant worker to be registered as a participant in BPJS Employment. This study employs a qualitative research method with a descriptive-analytical approach. The results indicate that BPJS Employment plays an important role as a protection instrument against the risks of occupational accidents and death that migrant workers may experience during their placement period. However, the optimization of protection through BPJS Employment continues to face several challenges, including migrant workers’ limited understanding of the importance of social security, insufficient awareness of the need to renew BPJS Employment membership, and differences in registration mechanisms between migrant workers placed through Indonesian Migrant Worker Placement Companies (P3MI) and independently placed migrant workers. This study concludes that optimizing legal protection for migrant workers requires strengthening an integrated registration system, increasing social security awareness and literacy, and developing a more effective membership monitoring system. Thus, social security should not merely serve as an administrative requirement prior to departure but also function as a legal protection instrument that provides certainty and a sense of security for Indonesian migrant workers while working abroad.