Indonesian migrant workers are expected to boost their remittance to up to 30 trillion rupiah ( about 3.3 billion U.S. dollars) this year, a senior official said Tuesday.

Remittance from overseas workers "totaled 24 trillion - 25 trillion rupiah in 2005 and we hope it can climb to 29 trillion to 30 trillion rupiah this year," said Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Erman Suparno.

In the first five months of the year, remittance flow is estimated at 15 trillion rupiah (1.6 billion U.S. dollars).

About 600,000 Indonesians are currently working in foreign countries, Erman said.

"If the sending, placement and protection system of workers is improved, Indonesian migrant workers may reach 1 million and the remittance flow will triple," he said.

Reform in the export of workers will need an active role from the private sector because the government is not the only facilitator in sending workers abroad, he added.

Source: Xinhua