MAKATI CITY - The Institute for Labor Studies was among the delegates of the “Workshop on Setting Future Priorities for ASEAN: Leveraging Labour Market Information for Skills and Employment Policies in the context of a Green, Digital and Inclusive Economic Transformation and Workshop for Policy Development on Digital Labour Market Intermediaries (DLMIs) Involved in Recruitment and Placement,” hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment, supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and GIZ RECOTwin, held from February 11 to 13, 2025, at the Holiday Inn and Suites, Makati City.

The three-day workshop was held in light of the recent completion of the Regional Mapping of Labour Market Information for Skills and Employment Policies in the ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the adoption in 2023 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Resolution concerning a just transition toward environmentally sustainable economies and societies.

The workshop provided a platform for AMS to share the key outcomes of country-level discussions of the workshop and reflect on the most urgent needs in addressing existing challenges and achieving shared goals on labor and skills-related initiatives, especially in the context of green, digital, and inclusive economic transitions. Each AMS presented the main elements and outcomes of their country group discussion, followed by an open forum.

Philippine representatives and that of ILO, and GIZ provided a summary of the presentations discussed by the AMS and gave a synthesis of all country discussions, identifying commonalities and differences in country-specific challenges or strategic recommendations related to skills and employment policies to facilitate digital and green transformations and differences in resource gaps. These findings were then validated among AMS.

The regional mapping report is a unique stocktaking exercise of labor market information and its use for skills and employment policies at the national and regional levels. The report identifies and analyses key challenges and gaps in the areas of capacity, resources, infrastructure institutions, and others, as well as reflects on good practices and lessons learned from the ASEAN region and provides a set of recommendations relevant to the national and regional contexts.

The workshop also introduced the ASEAN-Germany project implemented by GIZ RECOTwin. The project aims to support regional cooperation on the labor market and skills development in ASEAN in support of a green, digital, and inclusive economic transition.

Participants from AMS included the Philippine delegation from DOLE led by Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres, Assistant Secretary Paul Vincent W. Añover, ILS Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo, and Bureau of Local Employment Director Patrick P. Patriwirawan, Jr. Representatives from the Philippine Statistics Authority and partners from international organizations from ASEAN Secretariat, ILO, and GIZ RECOTwin also attended the event.

ILS personnel John Rod Sadia, Jan Danielle Bondad, and Chelsea Nicole Pineda represented the Institute as documenters of the Philippine secretariat. Pineda also presented the ILS policy research on Digital Labor Market Intermediaries (DLMIs) during the workshop on policy development on DLMIs involved in recruitment and placement.

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