MPI and Asian Development Bank Launch Initiative on Mobility of Skilled Labor in ASEAN

BALI, Indonesia – The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 28 – 29 will host a forum in Bali, Indonesia to launch a joint initiative which aims to reduce barriers to the free flow of skilled labor amongst countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The forum, which brings together high-level policy and business leaders, will explore the nature and extent of movement of professionals within ASEAN, the progress and challenges countries face in recognizing professional qualifications and the potential areas for reform at national and regional levels over the near and longer term.

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is due to be in place by the end of 2015, but slow progress on removing real and perceived barriers to movements by professionals in the region as part of the agreement on labor mobility, will prevent the full benefits of the AEC from being realized in a global economy that is increasingly competitive and skills-driven.

The multi-year ADB-MPI joint initiative will carry out studies to better understand the barriers to freer movement of professionals within ASEAN and seek to develop strategies to gradually overcome them.

The Bali forum is open to the public, and members of the media are invited to attend. The agenda can be found here.

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More information: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/events/BaliForumAgenda_Sept25_1.pdf