Labor policy and administration

Mongolia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Philippines have the highest employment rates in Asia. By contrast, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos post the lowest unemployment rates. Mongolia has the highest employment rate in Asia with 7.3 per cent. The country has seen a poor labour market with a ...

Owners of garment factories and other businesses in Laos are rejecting a proposal to raise the minimum wage by as much as one-third, saying the increase in expenses would force them to shut down operations, despite reports of workers seeking opportunities elsewhere due to low ...

Abuse, forced labor and trafficking continue in Thailand’s fishing industry, says a new report. It comes almost three years after the EU threatened to ban Thai fishing products if Bangkok didn’t get its act in order.Keep reading ...

Despite decades of world-beating economic growth that has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into middle class life, around 900 million more Asian workers remain in what the International Labour Organization deems “vulnerable” employment.Keep reading ...

When one of the biggest food companies in the world, Nestle, found slavery in its supply chains in 2015 it made a public admission, a move praised by anti-slavery groups.[]The company’s investigation found many of the workers were from Myanmar and Cambodia. Some had been ...

China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a $1 trillion plan to deepen economic relations between itself and up to 60 other countries worldwide through large investments in infrastructure, construction, and other projects. Many commentators have considered the significance of Belt and Road from a political, ...

Thailand-based rights group Migrants Workers Rights Network (MWRN) asked the Myanmar Ministry of Labour to take effective action against the corruption linked to the issuing of Certificates of Identity (CI) in the kingdom.“Our migrants have to pay for more than the real price at CI ...

The government has opened assistance centres in Thailand to help Lao workers there who currently hold purple cards (work permits), to ensure they are fully legal and are registered with the authorities. The centres are operating from August 28 until the end of February 2018. ...

Thailand’s $7 billion fishing trade is among the world’s biggest. In recent years, it’s also been one of the most severely scandalized — an industry blighted by reports of slavery on fishing trawlers. Many of these tales recall 18th century-style barbarity at sea.Keep reading ...

Ensuring social security, knowledge and stable incomes for workers is a top priority for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Việt Nam, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Doãn Mậu Diệp, said yesterday. He spoke at the opening of a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) ...