A FreerSkill Mobility within ASEAN

Aspirations, Challenges, and Opportunities in 2015 and Beyond

By Guntur Sugiyarto and Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias

December 2014

Issue No. 11
A Freer Flow of Skilled Labour within ASEAN:
Aspirations, Opportunities and Challenges in
2015 and Beyond
Presentation is prepared by Sanam Rahman and presented by Yuko Hamada
Senior Regional Labour Migration/Migration and Development Specialist
IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Initiatives Adopted to Realize the AEC
2015 Vision

The ASEAN Agreement on the

Facilitating Movement of Natural Persons (MNP)
Visa Issuance The ASEAN Comprehensive
Investment Agreement (ACIA)

Recognition of Mutual Recognition Arrangements

Qualifications The ASEAN Qualification Framework
and Skills (AQF)
Challenges to Implementing These
Initiatives
It is difficult to adapt domestic policies and regulations to
meet the provisions of the MRAs

Stronger political and public support is needed to drive the

process forward despite the time-consuming and technical
difficulty of the task

Along with the mutual recognition of qualifications and

experience, other key factors that shape the migration
process require regional cooperation and action
 Conclusion

Overcoming the challenges may be difficult, but is not impossible. Socio-

economic and demographic changes demand that the challenges be
overcome.

Freer flow of skilled labour can help address regional challenges such as
knowledge and skills gap and youth unemployment.

Facilitating free movement of skilled labour is an important step towards

regional economic prosperity and human capital development.
Thank You!