A general view of the city from an observatory deck claimed to be Indonesia's highest, at the Thamrin Nine building in Jakarta on July 24, 2025. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)
Vientiane: Representatives from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have met in Laos to discuss advancing formal employment, enhancing labor policies, and strengthening the labor market.
The representatives gathered in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province for the regional workshop on employment creation and formalization from Wednesday to Thursday, according to a report from the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare on Friday.
The workshop provided a platform for exchanging experiences, lessons learned, and good practices in aligning labor policies with investment, trade, and industrial strategies.
The meeting built on the Vientiane Declaration, adopted in 2016, which aims for a transition from informal to formal employment. Since then, ASEAN has advanced by developing regional guidelines and partnering with the International Labor Organization and others to support this transition.
Laos has also made notable progress through various policies, including improving labor laws, registering informal workers, creating special economic zones to boost job creation, promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing skills training, strengthening labor market information systems, and improving occupational health and safety.
Participants also discussed future plans to promote formal employment by increasing investment, developing small- and medium-sized enterprises, improving access to finance and expertise, driving digital transformation, and integrating technology into labor systems.
