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ndonesian professionals living overseas will soon be able to work in ministries and state institutions without having to apply as civil servants, a scheme that the government says will give them more flexibility while contributing in developing the country.

A government regulation (PP) is currently being drafted contract-based government employees (PPPK), stipulating that competent professionals, ranging from teachers and lecturers to doctors, are able to work for the government under contracts while receiving the same wages as that of civil servants.

“We want to provide opportunities for experienced professionals and [Indonesians] working overseas who want to contribute to the nation’s development, within a specific period of time,” Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Syafruddin said on Friday.

Under the PPPK system, Indonesian professionals can be employed under a minimum one-year contract that can be renewed until the retirement age set for that position. However, they must first pass an enrollment test as mandated by Law No. 5/2014 on state civil apparatus.

The government regulation is the mandate of a 2014 law that stipulates civil servants and contract-based government employees are considered state agents.

There has been no official records on the size and of Indonesian diaspora. The Foreign Ministry estimated in 2013 that 4.6 million Indonesian citizens live overseas while the Indonesian Diaspora Network predicted that the number reached 8 million in 2015.

The final voter list (DPT) for the 2019 election released by the General Election Commission (KPU) on Sept. 16 shows that 2.04 million Indonesian voters live overseas.

While those who want to participate in civil servant enrollment tests (CPNS) must be below the age of 35, the PPPK system does not stipulate an age limit on its enrollment test, said National Civil Service Agency (BKN) head Bima Haria Wibisana.

The PPPK also offers a more flexible working period and Indonesian professionals working overseas can return home and apply to work with the government under any contract period they want, Bima said.

“We expect that the PPPK are professionals with competence that [the government] yet to have [...] researchers, engineers, teachers and lecturers are among those that we need,” Bima said.

For instance, the Trade Ministry wanted to employ legal analyst with expertise in issues related to trade dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and so the ministry could seek for Indonesian legal experts abroad to assist the ministry in certain amount of time, Bima said.

Those who work under PPPK system will receive the same wage and allowances as that of other civil servants in the same level. Those who passed the test and employed will have their contracts evaluated every year.

However, Bima said that PPPK will not receive pension funds like civil servants unless they want to allocate their own wage to be cut by premium of pension scheme, which could be accommodated by state-owned pension insurance company PT Taspen.

In the meantime, the Finance Ministry is calculating the state budget’s ability to receive the PPPK, which is expected to take a month.

“I hope that the regulation can be issued soon,” Bima said, adding that the regulation would also detail the formation of the PPPK in ministries and state institutions.

In the meantime, the government plans to open civil servant enrollment tests (CPNS) to recruit 238,015 civil servants, comprising 112,000 teachers and 60,000 medical personnel, such as doctors, midwives and nurses. Registration will open on Sept. 26.

Syafruddin said the PPPK was also a solution for candidates who could not pass the CPNS test, as it was also a solution to accommodate non-permanent civil servants who have worked with state institutions, including 735,825 non-permanent teachers.