ASEAN regional integration: challenges and opportunities, a senior executive seminar

The seminar aims to facilitate an understanding of the challenges and opportunities ASEAN Members States will face in regulating labour migration in the context of regional integration, drawing where appropriate, on the experience of regional harmonization in the European Union.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) ASEAN TRIANGLE Project, in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the ILO and ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford are organizing a seminar titled ASEAN regional integration: challenges and opportunities. A senior executive seminar, to be held on 9-10th July 2014 at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort in Phuket, Thailand.

The Senior Executive Seminar is designed exclusively for senior ranking officials of governments at the level or rank of Permanent Secretary or Deputy Director-General. The seminar aims to facilitate an understanding of the challenges and opportunities ASEAN Members States will face in regulating labour migration in the context of regional integration, drawing where appropriate, on the experience of regional harmonization in the European Union. ASEAN Member States have committed to removing all barriers to the cross-border movement of goods and services in the region by 2015. This will have far-reaching consequences on the region’s economic development, its capital and labour markets, labour mobility and the structure and competitiveness of its industries. Coordinating policies to facilitate the cross-border movement of the region’s migrant workforce, and ensuring adequate social protection for all national and foreign workers is a key challenge.

The Seminar will provide an opportunity for participants to attend a range of lectures on contemporary issues in labour migration by leading academics and policy specialists from the EU and ASEAN. These include issues such as: impacts of migration on national and local economies, factors leading to labour demand, migrant workers in irregular situations, gender dimensions, regional integration (skills recognition, employment services, labour shortages) and vulnerable occupations. The teaching will draw on ILO expertise and the multi-disciplinary strengths of COMPAS (Oxford University) in this complex field of study, combining political, legal, economic and sociological approaches.


Course aims

  • To enhance understanding of the implications of economic integration on migration and labour policies;
  • To equip senior government officials working on migration issues in ASEAN countries with analytical skills and knowledge of relevant international experience which can contribute to sound national policies and practices on immigration and emigration;
  • To provide participants an opportunity to critically analyse and discuss contemporary labour migration issues in ASEAN countries, and review the appropriateness of current approaches in the light of international experience;
  • Sharing experience with peer officials from European institutions dealing with economic integration on migration and labour policies and
  • To provide the opportunity for high-level officials to undertake a short, intensive period of study and reflection.