Remarks by Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Ong Keng Yong
Beijing, 13 August 2007
1. Between 2000 and 2006, driven by high population growth and a modest increase in labour force participation, the region’s labour force grew at an average annual rate of 2.2 per cent. Therefore, since 2000, total employment in ASEAN has increased by a healthy 11.8 per cent, from 235.2 million to 263 million, an increase of 27.8 million additional jobs.
2. This trend was confirmed in an ILO report1. However, despite positive trends, the ILO report brings a clear message that ASEAN region should continue and enhance its efforts to promote productive and decent works, for the region to ensure integration with a balance between economic growth and social equity.
3. Guided by the ASEAN Labour Ministers Work Programme adopted in 2001, ASEAN Cooperation in Labour has set priorities to deal with the employment impact of the regional integration and globalization. With the support of its Dialogue Partners and ILO, ASEAN has done considerable amount of work in promoting productive and decent works, particularly in the area of industrial relations, occupational safety and health, human resources development, and skills recognition.
4. ASEAN is faced with a challenge of aiming for universal coverage of social security and protection for its labour force considering that most of the insurance schemes cover the formal sector only and built on a narrow membership base. Lack of social security coverage is largely concentrated in the informal economy which provides significant employment for about 59 percent of the total labour force in ASEAN.
Industrial Relations
5. The ASEAN Programme on Industrial Relations has been implemented since 2001. Participated by high level representatives from employers, workers, and government, the programme assists and facilitates efforts of ASEAN countries in promoting sound industrial relations, industrial harmony, higher productivity and social justice as essential elements of development. Through regional workshops and national seminars, the sharing of knowledge, and information, the Programme builds a network of experts with deep knowledge and rich experience on industrial relations in the ASEAN.
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
6. As reported by ILO, every year worldwide more than 2 million people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases and there are estimated 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million2 cases of occupational disease. Recognising that large numbers of people in its region were engaged in hazardous activities and that occupational diseases, accidents, and deaths have a negative effect on economic productivity and social development, ASEAN established the ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network (ASEAN-OSHNET) in 2000. Ever since, the Network has been facilitated exchange of the relevant OSH information, the sharing of training expertise, promotion of the development and harmonization of the OSH standards and guidelines. The ASEAN-OSHNET members also provided significant contribution to the research undertaken by ILO on “HIV/AIDS and the World of Work in ASEAN”.
7. Early this year, an OSH policy dialogue on national OSH framework was organized by the ASEAN-OSHNET and hosted by Singapore. The policy dialogue was participated by experts from all ASEAN countries, China, Japan, Korea, and ILO. The policy dialogue developed a plan of action in helping ASEAN Member Countries progress in the implementation and strengthening of national OSH frameworks.
Human Resource Development (HRD)
8. ASEAN had a number of training activities and seminars to share knowledge or build capacity of the ASEAN labour officials in policy development addressing labour and employment issues. In the past few years most knowledge sharing activities have highlighted social protection as the focused area of concern. Capacity building activities on a number of areas of HRD have been mostly intended for addressing the need of the ASEAN newer members, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam.
Skills Recognition
9. ASEAN has been carrying out projects to help improve labour market flexibility to meet emerging needs of industry and promote mobility of skilled workers within the ASEAN. The projects aim to contribute to the broader and longer-term goal of improving labour market flexibility and thus the integration of ASEAN goods, services and Human Resource Development (HRD) policies. The projects include a cooperative program of research and analysis relating to skills recognition arrangements; development of competencies standards and curricula, and policy review to explore ways to establish a regional or sub-regional system of recognition of skills certificates and credentials.
Protection for Migrant Workers
10. On 13 January 2007, the ASEAN Leaders signed the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. The declaration mandates ASEAN countries to promote fair and appropriate employment protection, payment of wages, and adequate access to decent working and living conditions for migrant workers. Fast-growing intra-regional movements of workers are evidence of increasing labour market integration between the ASEAN Member Countries. In the year 2005, the total number of migrants originating from the ASEAN region was estimated at about 13.5 million, about 40 percent of whom (5.3 million people) were based in other ASEAN Member Countries.
ASEAN’s Continued Collaboration with ILO
11. Relations between the ILO and ASEAN have been built up over the past five years which has brought about many joint initiatives and projects, thanks largely to an excellent working relationship between the ASEAN Secretariat and the ILO Liaison Office in Jakarta. The working relationship has been intensified with the signing of the cooperation agreement between the ASEAN Secretariat and ILO office in March this year. In only few months after the signing ASEAN Secretariat and the ILO Liaison Office in Jakarta have had extensive discussion in developing several activities. Three activities that are of much relevance to the promotion of decent works have been planned to be carried out later this year. They address the areas of concern highlighted in the Cooperation: youth entrepreneurship, labour market statistics, and HIV/AIDS and the work place.
12. The progress made by ASEAN forms the foundation of a must-continued work in improving opportunities of workers to decent works. While knowledge and experience sharing, capacity building, and research activities remain important, ASEAN should now put more emphasis on concrete joint efforts to improve the region’s productive and quality jobs and to ensure workers enjoy healthy and safe working conditions. ASEAN is aware of the challenges faced in realizing decent works for all in the region. But ASEAN has no choice but to take up the challenges if the region seeks to maintain a balance between economic growth and social progress.
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1. Labour and Social Trends in ASEAN 2007: Integration, Challenges and Opportunities
2. http://www.ilo.org/global/Themes/Safety_and_Health_at_Work/lang--en/index.htm
