Analysis of Indonesian Migrant Worker Patterns Using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm

Authors

  • Ihsan Pratama Putra Department of Informatics Engineering, STMIK IM, Bandung, Indonesia
  • Hendra Gunawan Department of Informatics Engineering, STMIK IM, Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.6.3.2026.1174

Keywords:

Clustering, Elbow Method, Indonesian Migrant Workers, K-Means, Silhouette Score

Abstract

The increasing number of Indonesian migrant workers distributed across various destination countries has created a need for data-driven analysis to better understand migrant worker distribution patterns and support effective policy formulation. This study aims to analyze the characteristics and patterns of Indonesian migrant workers in Cianjur Regency using a data mining approach with the K-Means Clustering algorithm. The dataset used was obtained from Indonesian migrant workers placement data based on destination countries and processed through the Knowledge Discovery in Databases stages, including data selection, preprocessing, transformation, clustering, and evaluation. The clustering process was carried out using the K-Means algorithm, while the optimal number of clusters was determined using the Elbow Method and validated using the Silhouette Score. The results showed that the optimal number of clusters was 2 clusters with a Silhouette Score value of 0.849, indicating good clustering quality. The first cluster was dominated by destination countries with high numbers of migrant workers, while the second cluster consisted of countries with relatively lower numbers of migrant workers. These findings are expected to support data-driven decision-making for migrant worker placement policies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agdifianti, S., & Sundaya, Y. (2024). Analisis ekonomi pekerja migran Indonesia dalam memilih jenis pekerjaan pada BP3MI Provinsi Jawa Barat. Dinamika Ekonomi, 7(4), 31-38. https://doi.org/10.29313/JDE.V15I1.3082.

Anggara, R., Mulyana, S., Gayatri, G., & Hafiar, H. (2024). Understanding the motivations of being Indonesian migrant workers. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2333968.

Angreni, D. K. D. (2022). Social network analysis of Indonesia migrant workers in Hong Kong: Study social integration between health care and KOTKIHO. International Journal of Public Administration Studies, 2(1), 07-13. https://doi.org/10.29103/ijpas.v2i1.7854.

Anita, Y. (2025). Empowerment of migrant workers to prevent illegal employment: A review of government policies. Research Horizon, 5(2), 373-384. https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.5.2.2025.540.

Dewandaru, B., Rahmadi, A. N., & Syaâ, E. H. (2019). Pemanfaatan remitansi pekerja migran Indonesia serta peran usaha pekerja migran Indonesia purna untuk pembangunan desa asal. Warmadewa Economic Development Journal (WEDJ), 2(2), 44-50. https://doi.org/10.22225/wedj.2.2.1297.44-50.

Everitt, B. S., Landau, S., Leese, M., & Stahl, D. (2011). Cluster analysis (5th ed.). London: Wiley.

Fadhilah, A. N., & Sundaya, Y. (2023). Analisis ekonomi pekerja migran Indonesia dalam memilih negara tujuan pada BP3MI Jabar. Jurnal Riset Ilmu Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 6(4), 111-116. https://doi.org/10.29313/jrieb.v3i2.2856.

Frank, E., & Hall, M. A. (2011). Data mining: practical machine learning tools and techniques. New York: Morgan Kaufmann.

Fujiansyah, D. (2025). Segmentation of inclusive economic growth profiles across provinces in Indonesia using a clustering approach. Indonesian Journal of Social Economics and Agricultural Policy, 1(1), 33-49. https://doi.org/10.70895/ijseap.v1i1.64.

Gružauskas, V., Čalnerytė, D., Fyleris, T., & Kriščiūnas, A. (2021). Application of multivariate time series cluster analysis to regional socioeconomic indicators of municipalities. Real Estate Management and Valuation, 29(3), 39-51. https://doi.org/10.2478/remav-2021-0020.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis. New York: Pearson.

Hamidah, C. N. (2018). Sirkulasi keputusan dan dampak menjadi pekerja migran: studi etnografi proses pengambilan keputusan menjadi pekerja migran Indonesia. Jurnal Ketenagakerjaan, 13(1), 559-666.

Han, J., Kamber, M., & Pei, J. (2012). Data mining: Concepts and techniques. Waltham: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

Jain, A. K. (2010). Data clustering: 50 years beyond K-means. Pattern Recognition Letters, 31(8), 651–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2009.09.011.

Larose, D. T. (2005). An introduction to data mining. In Traduction et adaptation de Thierry Vallaud. London: John Wiley.

MacQueen, J. (1967). Multivariate observations. In Proceedings of the 5th Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Probability (Vol. 1, pp. 281-297). Oakland, CA: University of California Press.

Maimon, O. Z., & Rokach, L. (2014). Data mining with decision trees: theory and applications (Vol. 81). Cham: World Scientific.

Mas’udah, S. (2020). Remittances and lifestyle changes among Indonesian overseas migrant workers’ families in their hometowns. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 21(2), 649–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00676-x.

Oyewole, G. J., & Thopil, G. A. (2023). Data clustering: application and trends. Artificial Intelligence Review, 56(7), 6439-6475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-022-10325-y.

Pattinussa, J. M. Y., & Rasyid, A. G. (2024). Enhancing protection of Indonesian migrant workers: A case study of Erwiana. Jurnal Transformasi Global, 11(1), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jtg.011.01.5.

Pratikto, R., Yazid, S., & Dewi, E. (2020). Enhancing the role of remittances through social capital: Evidence from Indonesian household data. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 29(1), 30–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0117196820920401.

Prianto, A. L., Amri, A. R., & Ajis, M. N. E. (2023). Governance and protection of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia: a study on policy and innovation network. JSEAHR, 7(4), 214-222.

Sasmita, N. R., Khairul, M., Sofyan, H., Kruba, R., Mardalena, S., Dahlawy, A., Apriliansyah, F., Muliadi, M., Saputra, D. C. E., Noviandy, T. R., & Maula, A. W. (2023). A statistical clustering approach: Mapping population indicators through probabilistic analysis in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Infolitika Journal of Data Science, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.60084/ijds.v1i2.130

Sitoresmi, L. N., & Suman, A. (2025). Determinants of labor international migration in Java. Journal of Development Economic and Social Studies, 4(4), 1365-1379. https://doi.org/10.21776/jdess.2025.04.4.21.

Spaan, E., & Van Naerssen, T. (2020). Migration decision-making and migration industry in the Indonesia–Malaysia corridor. In Exploring the Migration Industries (pp. 138-153). London: Routledge.

Syakur, M. A., Khotimah, B. K., Rochman, E. M. S., & Satoto, B. D. (2018). Integration k-means clustering method and elbow method for identification of the best customer profile cluster. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 336, No. 1, p. 012017). London: IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/336/1/012017.

Tan, P. N., Steinbach, M., & Kumar, V. (2016). Introduction to data mining. Chennai: Pearson Education India.

Todaro, M. P., & Smith, S. C. (2015). Economic development (12th edition). Essex: Essex Pearson Education Limited.

Ukhtiyani, K., & Indartono, S. (2020). Impacts of Indonesian economic growth: Remittances migrant workers and FDI. JEJAK: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Kebijakan, 13(2), 280–291. https://doi.org/10.15294/jejak.v13i2.23543.

Unukić, I., & Nater Drvenkar, N. (2025). Clustering regional competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe: Insights from the k-means method. Ekonomski vjesnik: Review of Contemporary Entrepreneurship, Business, and Economic Issues, 38(2), 373-386. https://doi.org/10.51680/ev.38.2.12.

Wahyuni, & Sihaloho, M. (2022). Hubungan remitan ekonomi dengan tingkat kesejahteraan rumah tangga pekerja migran Indonesia:(Kasus: Desa Galak, Kabupaten Ponorogo, Jawa Timur). Jurnal Sains Komunikasi dan Pengembangan Masyarakat, 6(2), 202-218. https://doi.org/10.29244/jskpm.v6i2.703.

Yuniarti, D., Astuti, H., Triatmojo, F. A., Nasir, M. S., & Lunku, H. S. (2025). Quantifying the poverty paradox: Indonesian labor migration. Jurnal Ekonomi Pembangunan: Kajian Masalah Ekonomi dan Pembangunan, 26(2), 233-249. https://doi.org/10.23917/jep.v26i2.13174.

Downloads

Published

2026-06-25

How to Cite

Putra, I. P., & Gunawan, H. (2026). Analysis of Indonesian Migrant Worker Patterns Using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm. Research Horizon, 6(3), 1131–1144. https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.6.3.2026.1174

Similar Articles

<< < 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.