1. Employment Service in Lao PDR

2. Contents National Employment Policy (NEP) and acheivemnet
Activities and project collabolation
V. Challenges
VI. Ways forward
Laos is a small land-locked country located in the South-East Asia region, It shares international borders with 5 countries such as China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

3. I. National employment policy and achievment
1. Established 22 recruitment agencies among them there are two agencies providing internal employment service -These agencies duly licensed under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare -Developed Decree on establishment and management of recruitment agencies

4. 2. National strategic on labour develpment 2011-2020 General Direction
Train labour force to be good citizen, healthy, knowledge, skilful, industrial mind-set, nationalism and ambitious to develop themselves in order to significant contribution into national social economic development each time.
Develop labour force to suite with potential resource of zone and harmonise with economic structure for supply the labour market demand in domestic and foreign country as well as integrated with region and international
Develop the skills based upon the occupation subjects to reach the standard and harmonization with economic structure by focusing to the areas of agriculture and forestry, industrial production, handicraft, construction, electricity, mining and services to support the transition of industry and modernization step by step
Manage the Lao worker in domestic and abroad including foreign workers in Lao PDR, and ensure to protect their rights and interests in accordance with the Laws.

5. 3. Established an Employment Service Center in Vientiane capital
-The ESC consists of four sections: Administration& Finance section, Information&training section, Foreign Workers registration & Domestic Employment Section, and Oversea Employment Section.
-Responsibility and Function of ESC
Implementing the party and government’s direction and policies
Collecting and analysis labour market information dissemination
Job matching labour to employers, dispatching lao labour abroad
Providing pre departure
Directing, managing and monitoring Job centres (JC) and Migration resource centre (MRC)
Issuing work permit to lao labour traveling to abroad
Issuing and proceeding work permit to foreign labour
Monitoring, supporting and managing recruitment agencies
Coordinating with embassy, consular or laolabour attaché

6. 4. Established Job centers ( currently 9 centers)
Function of Job centres.
-Promoting job placement to laolabour
-Dispatching laolabour abroad;
-Facilitating and assist employers to seek and matching job seekers as appropriately labour demand,
-Developing skills standard;
-Coordinating and promoting public and private vocational training
-Collecting and analysis labour market information

7. 5. Revised labour law (the revised version endorsed by national Assembly 2014) Revised labour law (the revised version endorsed by national Assembly 2014). Big change in the revised labour law is the inclusion of employment policy and migration issues and migration fund 6. Law on Social security (recently endorsed by Govt in August 2013) 7. Decree 036,on TVET and Skills Development 8. National Structure of Skills Standards 9. Regional Model of Competency Standard(RMCS).

8. Achievement: Employment service statistic from 2011-2017
2017
Total
Female
277,4939
136,773
149,733
65,251
139,053
42,933
Job placement
156,926
77,179
94,066
34,789
116,020
31,105
Dispatching Lao worker to abroad
120,513
59,594
55,667
30,462
23,033
11,628

9. Achievement: Skills Development statistic from 2011-2017
2017
Total
Female
248,765
114,300
132,546
59,936
66,048
31,996
Agriculture
97,953
42,515
39,399
16,865
16,218
6,427
Industry
61,405
29,113
31,969
9,277
13,452
3,982
Service
89,407
42,672
61,178
33,794
36,378
21,587

10. Statistic of Foreign wokers
Total
Female
Agriculture
17263
2711
15543
2290
901
170
Industry
2353
650
3343
1096
346
122
Service
2667
501
2967
569
461
106
Total:
22283
3862
21853
3,955
1708
398

11. II. Activities and Project cooperation
ILO-MOHRSS South-South Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) on Employment Services in Cambodia and Lao PDR(ILO\China)
Job centres developed experience and skills to deploy a wider range of employment outreach mechanisms including job fairs, employment forums, recruitment events, social network and use of media outlets
During , the 9 job centres consolidated performance recorded the registration of more than 13,000 vacancies and placement to more than 2,000 jobseekers. These numbers indicate a strong increase vis-a-vis baseline data.
The number of registered job seekers at employment service centres receiving job placements also increased, indicating not only better record keeping but also improved ability to facilitate the matching of job seekers with employers.
Improved Labour Market Information capacity via establishment of a unit in MoLSW
Lao National Standard Classification of Occupations – cornerstone of LMI for use by all relevant stakeholders
Performance measurement and monitoring mechanisms (i.e. PES checklist, data collection, evaluation, assessment).
Better collaboration with partners, stakeholders and clients (i.e. employers and jobseekers).

12. II. Activities and Project cooperation
TA 9115-LAO: Strengthening The Capacity To Develop The Employment Service System(ADB)
Output 1: ‘Employment Management System Developed’ ລະບົບການຄຸ້ມ ຄອງການຈັດຫາງານຖືກສ້າງຂຶ້ນ
Output 2: ‘Improved Labour Market Assessment, Forecast and LMIS including Institutional Support’ ການປະເມີນຕະຫລາດແຮງງານ, ການ ພະຍາກອນ ແລະ ລະບົບຂໍ້ມູນຂ່າວສານຕະຫລາດແຮງງານ ໄດ້ຮັບການປັບປຸງ ລວມ ທັງການສະໜັບສະໜູນສະຖາບັນ
Output 3: ‘Operationalized PES Centre WEB Site and Online ESS ’ ເວັບໄຊຂອງສູນບໍລິການຈັດຫາງານພາກລັດ ແລະ ລະບົບການບໍລິການຈັດຫາງານ ອອນລາຍ ເປີດປະຕິບັດງານ
Output 4: Capacity of Job Centre Staff and Dissemination of Information Strengthened ເພີ່ມທະວີຄວາມສາມາດຂອງພະນັກງານຈຸດບໍລິການຈັດຫາງານ ແລະ ການເຜີຍແຜ່ຂໍ້ມູນຂ່າວສານ

13. III. Challenges Labour law is not enforced effectively
Employment service policies is not yet intensive and comprehensive and not well known by agencies concern so it leads to ineffective implementation of employment service
Skills development and employment service systems are not well functioning
Laos doesn’t yet have labour market information policies
Financial allocated to Jobcenter is limited
Jobseekers, employers and other relevant agencies are not be aware d of existing Employment Service Center and job centers.
Jobcenters have Limited of staff
Employment service Staff at national and provincial level and recruitment agencies have limited of understand and skills on employment service
Inaccuracy in presenting LMI because we don’t have appropriate LMI system
Limited of coordination and collaboration among tripartite and recruitment agencies (not strong network)

14. IV. Way forward to enhance employment service in Laos
Improve and expand vocational training centers nationwide
Enhance capacity for Employment Service Center (central part) Northern part and Southern part.
Enhance capacity and expand Jobcenters to other province nationwide accordingly to the Jobcenters National expansion from now up to 2015.
Enhance quantitative and qualitative skills development
Develop LM policy (regulation, strategy, programs and projects)
Put more investment in Jobcenter operation and staffing 
Develop quality and standardization of LMI system
Enhance coordination and collaboration among tripartite and recruitment agencies
Conduct more training, study tour, field visits focusing on the technical and managerial knowledge: LMI collection and management, office management, resource management, skills on job matching, career counseling, employer relation.
Enhance the communication in order to make people awareness of the ESJCs, The government should put more investment.

15. Thank you very much for your attention