The 16th Meeting of the Working Group on Progressive Labour Practices to Enhance the Competitiveness of ASEAN (SLOM-WG) is held online.(Photo: asean.org) The August 16 meeting, hosted by Brunei's Ministry of Home Affairs and chaired by the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment, reviewed the progress of theWorking Group’s activities under the SLOM-WG Work Plan 2021-2025 including theRegional Report on Enhancing the Competitiveness of Human Resources throughResponsive TVET Curriculum Supported by Involvement of Industries and LaborMarket Information.
Other initiatives include the ongoing project entitledRegional Mapping of Labour Market Information Systems in ASEAN Member States asa Basis for Better Skills and Employment Policies. In addition, a series oftraining webinars on labour market information systems and social protectionfor old age and informal workers were also implemented.
As part of Indonesia’s Chairmanship deliverables thisyear, the guidance document for the ASEAN Declaration on PromotingCompetitiveness, Resilience and Agility of Workers for the Future of Work wasdeveloped and is expected to be adopted by the ASEAN Labour Ministers thisyear.
The meeting also reviewed the regular update ofregional databases notably the ASEAN Informal Employment Statistics and theASEAN Labour Productivity Index. The first of its kind in the region, theindices feature inclusive multi-dimensional variables on labour productivitypromotion.
The complementarity of SLOM-WG’s initiatives on skillsdevelopment and recognition with those of the ASEAN TVET Council and ASEANQualification Reference Framework (AQRF) was also discussed.
SLOM-WG’s relevant activities include the upcominginter-pillar Workshop on Strengthening Migration Measures in ASEAN withattention on nursing and tourism sectors to be hosted by Vietnam thisSeptember.
Under Indonesia’s leadership, there are also plans toexpand implementation of the ASEAN Guiding Principles for Quality Assurance andRecognition of Competency Certification Systems.
The meeting also acknowledged the progress of theASEAN Labour Inspection Committee since its establishment in 2021 as well as theongoing implementation of the ASEAN Roadmap for the Elimination of the WorstForms of Child Labour by 2025.
The SLOM-WG is one of the three subsidiary bodies ofthe SLOM. Rotated biennially, the chairmanship was handed over from Indonesiato the Philippines during the 15th SLOM-WG Meeting held in January this year./.
VNA
