The Philippines and Malaysia are strengthening cooperation on emerging labour and employment issues as both countries seek to advance shared priorities under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres led a Philippine delegation in bilateral discussions with Dr Haji Mohd Shaharin bin Umar, Deputy Secretary General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources, on the sidelines of the 22nd ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting (SLOM) in Bangkok.
The talks focused on potential collaboration in green jobs, the platform economy, skills development and renewable energy, reflecting growing regional attention on how labour markets can adapt to technological, environmental and economic shifts.
The Philippines also sought Malaysia’s support for several Philippine-led ASEAN outcome documents covering labour market and social resilience, fair and ethical recruitment, occupational safety and health in the informal economy, and labour inspection in the fishing sector.
The Philippines highlighted its plans to host the 2026 ASEAN Green Jobs Forum and invited Malaysia to participate. The forum is intended to support regional dialogue and knowledge-sharing on green employment and workforce transitions.
Workforce transition was another area of discussion, with Malaysia sharing its experience in developing an energy-transition roadmap and introducing legislation governing gig workers. The two sides also explored future cooperation on digital platform work and other emerging labour issues.
Malaysia, meanwhile, expressed interest in establishing partnership agreements covering the recruitment and deployment of domestic workers, signalling scope for deeper bilateral cooperation on labour mobility.
The discussions come as ASEAN economies navigate changes in employment driven by AI, digitalisation, the green transition and new forms of work. The Philippines and Malaysia said the talks reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation on labour and employment.