1. ASEAN Regional Integration & Labour Migration
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok
International Labour Organization
8 April 2015

2. Outline of presentation
ASEAN Integration
Labour Migration
ASEAN Community 2015
Protection of Migrant Workers
Labour Mobility

4. IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE, BUT TOO MANY WORKERS IN ASEAN STILL HAVE POOR QUALITY JOBS AND GENDER GAPS PERSIST.

5. ASEAN integration in the global context
1. CURRENT SITUATION
ASEAN integration in the global context
$2.4 trillion GDP in 2013; 300 million labour force; 625 million people
Relative resilience to global economic crises.
Between , ASEAN countries grew faster than the global average.
Changing trade and FDI flows.
Rising FDI inflows relative to rest of the world.
Rapidly growing middle class.
From , 83 million workers joined the middle class; number expected to reach 144 million by 2017.
But rising inequality is a major concern …

6. ASEAN integration in the global context
1. CURRENT SITUATION
ASEAN integration in the global context
40% of workers are in low-income agriculture.
High informality, low social protection coverage.
13% youth unemployment.
Public social security expenditure, most recent year (per cent of GDP)

7. ASEAN integration in the global context
1. CURRENT SITUATION
ASEAN integration in the global context
Gender disparities persist
Labour force participation rates (per cent)
ASEAN employment growth higher for women than men.
But gender gaps in lfpr persist: 23% in 2013.
63% of women in vulnerable employment vs. 56% of men.

8. ASEAN integration in the global context
1. CURRENT SITUATION
ASEAN integration in the global context
Gender disparities persist
Average monthly wages by sex and wage gap (US$ and per cent)
Significant gender differences in wages.
In 6 of 7 countries, average wages of male workers surpass those of female workers.

9. 2. Labour Migration - Average monthly wages of migrants
and all residents by sex in Malaysia,

10. Intra-ASEAN Migration Shares, 1990-2013
(percent of total)
Source: UNDESA, 2013

11. Intra-ASEAN share of outflow of international migrant workers 2006-2012
Note: as presented in ADB & ILO, 2014

12. Stocks of foreign workers in destination countries in South-East Asia
Sources: Ministry of Manpower, Singapore; Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia; Ministry of Labour, Thailand

13. Annual inflow of migrant workers by skill of occupation (‘000)
NOTES: Malaysia covers only those residing in private living quarters. Thailand data measure those who migrated to Thailand within the previous year so may include some Thai-born or native ‘return migrants’; series break between 2009 and 2011 – figure for 2010 was interpolated assuming a linear trend.
Sources: Malaysia – Department of Statistics Malaysia, Migration Survey (various); Thailand – National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Labour Force Survey (module on migration, ) and Migration Survey (2011 and 2012).

14. 3. Establishment of ASEAN Community by 2015
12th ASEAN Summit (Cebu, 13 January 2007) called for establishment of ASEAN Community by 2015 in all three pillars of ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will establish ASEAN as a single market and production base comprising: (i) free flow of goods; (ii) free flow of services; (iii) free flow of investment; (iv) freer flow of capital; and (v) free flow of skilled labour.
Source: ASEAN Secretariat

15. Legal Framework for Mobility of People
ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC)
- ASEAN Framework Agreement on Visa Exemption
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
- ASEAN Agreement on Movement of Natural Persons (MNP)
- Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA)
- ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework
ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)
- Cebu Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of
Migrant Workers
Under Discussion
- ASEAN Business Travel Card (ABTC)
Source: ASEAN Secretariat

16. 4. ASEAN Declaration on Migrant Workers
ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers was issued by ASEAN Leaders on 13 January 2007 in Cebu, the Philippines
Promote fair and appropriate employment protection, payment of wages, and adequate access to decent working and living conditions for migrant workers
The ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW) was mandated to draft an ASEAN instrument on the protection and promotion of migrant workers

17. ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour
Open platform for the review, discussion and exchange of best practices and ideas on key issues facing migrant workers in South East Asia.
Established in 2008 by the ACMW to advance the implementation of the principles of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
Tripartite - remains unique among ASEAN events in providing social partners and civil society a platform to engage with governments.
Annual meetings conclude with an outcome documents called “Recommendations”
Two reviews made

18. 5. ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements
Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) enables service providers registered/certified in a signatory country to be equally recognised in other signatory countries
- MRA does not warrant unrestricted free flow of foreign professionals, relevant domestic regulations and market demand still applies
Common objectives of ASEAN MRAs:
- Facilitate mobility of services professionals
- Exchange of information and expertise
- Promote adoption of best practices on standards and qualifications
- Facilitate capacity building and technology transfer
Source: ASEAN Secretariat

19. Concluded MRAs in ASEAN
ASEAN has concluded 7 MRAs signed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and 1 MRA signed by ASEAN Tourism Ministers. The 7 occupations account for only 0.3% to 1% of total employment in ASEAN.

20. ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF)
AQRF, a common reference framework, will function as a translation device to enable comparisons of qualifications across participating ASEAN Member States. On-going process: by 2016/2018

21. Thank you For more information, please contact: Nilim Baruah
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Tel: , Fax: