Singapore-led Asean network aims to spot emerging labour market trends

[SINGAPORE] A new Singapore-led Asean network has been launched to help member states identify emerging labour market trends and strengthen workforce planning in the region.

The Asean Labour Statisticians Network (ALSN), unveiled at its inaugural three-day Expert Forum on Tuesday (Oct 27), is among Singapore’s initiatives to strengthen regional cooperation as it prepares to chair the regional grouping in 2027.

Singapore will serve as the network’s convenor for five years, from 2026 to 2030, with the Manpower Research and Statistics Department (MRSD) of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) leading its work.

The regional network, which the ministry described as the first of its kind dedicated to labour statistics, will be chaired by MRSD director and MOM’s chief artificial intelligence and data officer Ang Boon Heng.

An ALSN office will be set up in Singapore to coordinate programmes and facilitate cooperation among member states. It will be headed by MRSD senior deputy director Fang Shun Wu, who will also be the network’s executive secretary.

A new Asean labour market knowledge portal will enable member states to share research findings, statistical methodologies and practical tools, helping countries learn from approaches developed elsewhere in the region and adapt them for their own needs.

The forum coincided with the launch of an Asean Green Jobs Report, which provides a regional view of green jobs and skills in all 11 member states.

MOM permanent secretary Stanley Loh said in his opening address that while Asean countries have different labour markets and statistical systems, many face similar challenges in measuring labour market developments.

“By sharing methods and testing approaches together, we can develop useful answers faster and make better use of our resources,” he said.

“As Singapore prepares to assume the Asean chairmanship in 2027, we will continue to support this effort to strengthen our region’s capacity to understand and respond to labour market changes.”

The forum drew more than 150 delegates, including representatives from Asean member states and international organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

MOM’s data chief Ang said during a panel discussion that delegates would spend the next two days developing a workplan and identifying the network’s key “deliverables”.

The network also plans to hold annual check-ins to review its progress and identify areas for improvement, rather than waiting until the end of Singapore’s five-year term. These would allow members to assess “what went well, what didn’t go well”, he said.

Turning cooperation into action

Speaking to The Business Times ahead of the launch of the network, Ang and Fang said the initiative aims to draw on the various strengths of its members.

“Everyone can contribute something that’s meaningful,” Ang said, noting that Singapore, as a city-state, may lack the experience or expertise that other Asean countries have in certain areas.

Fang cited the Philippines, which has experience collecting labour market information from its many islands.

“How do they do data collection? There must be some tricks that we can learn from them,” he said.

He also cited Laos, which is working with the ILO to develop a skills taxonomy, as another example of expertise Singapore could learn from.

Ang added that regional collaboration would also enable Singapore to test its statistical tools and methodologies in the various labour markets and provide feedback to refine them.

As an immediate priority, Fang said the member states are expected to nominate representatives to coordinate their participation in the network, and that some may take on leadership roles in specific areas of research.

The network also plans to invite experts from academia and international organisations to contribute their expertise.

Another priority is to kick-start joint research through ALSN Co-Creation Incubator Projects, through which interested countries can develop, adapt and test statistical tools and methodologies.

Singapore is contributing several tools it has developed, including an AI Exposure Index which assesses how occupations could be affected by AI, and AI-assisted tools for identifying emerging occupations and improving occupational classifications.

Other member states will be invited to adapt and test these tools, and propose collaborative projects, said Fang.

Ang said Singapore also hopes to be a bridge between Asean and international organisations such as the ILO and the OECD, and to draw on its existing relationships to facilitate research collaborations and access to expertise.

The network also plans to organise study trips for member states to learn from overseas counterparts, while the ALSN office will help participating countries seek funding from partners for collaborative projects, Fang said.

Beyond improving statistical capabilities, the network ultimately aims to help governments make more timely and informed workforce policy decisions.

Such forward-looking analysis could help governments anticipate changes in employment and demand for skills, particularly as AI reshapes occupations, rather than wait for their effects to become apparent before responding, Ang said.

“A lot of our stats actually tell you what happened before. But these days, with the labour market moving at such a fast pace, we need to know what is happening now, and we need to know what will happen tomorrow,” he said.