A new centre to prepare Asean for the future of work was launched by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on 29 September 2020.
Mrs Teo detailed some of the Regional Centre for the Future of Work’s (RCFW) focus areas during a virtual keynote address for the HR Tech Festival Asia 2020 conference.
Plans to set up RCFW were mooted in April 2019 at the Singapore Conference on the Future of Work, in response to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) call to “work for a brighter future”.
"Last year, the Asean labour ministers had shown our collective resolve to prepare our businesses and workers for the future of work by coming together in Singapore to adopt the Asean Joint Statement on the Future of Work – the first regional statement of its kind.
“The regional centre will support Asean to put this statement into action,” said Mrs Teo.
RCFW will focus on three areas:
To enable Asean to take advantage of emerging opportunities and tackle challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RCFW is designed to institutionalise the region’s collective effort.
International experts and regional tripartite stakeholders will be brought together to foster social dialogue, share knowledge, and build capabilities.
The centre will also organise a series of conferences and workshops over the next few years, with tripartite partners Ministry of Manpower (MOM), NTUC and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) working together to make this happen.
“To guide the work of the RCFW, we are convening a small group of distinguished global and Asean representatives and subject-matter experts to take on the role of advisors for the RCFW,” added Mrs Teo.
The advisors include:
According to Ms Liew, who is also NTUC president, the RCFW is a timely platform to facilitate collaboration amongst the tripartite partners in the region.
“As an advisor, I hope to bring the perspectives of the International Labour Organisation, as well as both Singapore and international labour movement to strengthen the work of the RCFW, especially in the areas of social dialogue and recognising the worth and dignity of every worker,” she said.
In closing, Mrs Teo said: “COVID-19 has been a forceful reminder of the urgent need for governments, businesses and workers to come together to prepare for the future of work. Many shifts have been accelerated, and their impact sharpened.
“Each of us has a part to play in embracing the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and in navigating the new era of HR and the workplace.”
