Vietnam proactively shapes labor and employment priorities in the ASEAN Community

(Chinhphu.vn) - Vietnam will continue to be proactive, creative and responsible in ASEAN cooperation on labor and employment, contributing to building a fair, sustainable labor market that adapts to the digital transformation era.

Dr. Ha Minh Duc, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation ( Ministry of Home Affairs ) spoke at the Workshop - Photo: VGP/Thu Giang

On October 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs organized the Workshop "Labor and Employment in the Context of ASEAN Integration in 2025" to share labor development trends in the region and shape Vietnam's cooperation priorities in the coming period.

Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Ha Minh Duc , Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Home Affairs) said that this is an annual activity of the Ministry, a forum to share and connect ongoing trends in the region with specific tasks that Vietnam is implementing.

According to Dr. Ha Minh Duc, 2025 is not only the 30-year milestone of Vietnam joining ASEAN, but also a time of strategic transition for the entire bloc - when ASEAN closes the 2016-2025 Master Plan and starts a new phase 2026-2035, towards the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

To prepare for the new phase, the Ministry of Home Affairs and other Vietnamese ministries and sectors have been actively participating in developing the 5-year Work Plan 2026-2030 , connecting Vietnam's viewpoints and priorities with ASEAN's common orientation.

As the focal point of the Socio-Cultural Community , the Ministry of Home Affairs has organized many consultation sessions, synthesizing Vietnam's priority proposals in the fields of labor, employment and human resource development.

“This is a key moment for Vietnam to proactively identify ways to connect with common priorities, and propose initiatives that reflect national needs and interests,” Dr. Ha Minh Duc emphasized.

According to Dr. Ha Minh Duc, including the initiative in the ASEAN Five-Year Work Plan has great strategic significance , because once approved, all member countries will have the responsibility to participate.

“In a multilateral mechanism like ASEAN, if we reach consensus on 6 to 7 out of 10 priorities, that is a great success,” Dr. Ha Minh Duc added.

Workshop "Labor and employment in the context of ASEAN integration in 2025" - Photo: VGP/Thu Giang

The workshop took place with 5 in-depth working sessions, focusing on evaluating the results of labor-employment cooperation in the 2021-2025 period and preparing for the new period 2026-2030.

Session 1 reviewed the implementation of the ASEAN Labour Ministers' Work Plan (ALM-WP) with contents on employment, migrant workers, inspection, occupational safety and health (OSHNET) and human resource development.

Delegates assessed that Vietnam has actively participated and made many substantial contributions to initiatives on protecting migrant workers, eliminating child labor and vocational skills training.

Session 2 presented the ALM-WP 2026–2030 by the ASEAN Secretariat, which emphasized digital transformation, green transformation and international integration as major priorities of the region.

Session 3 focused on discussing activities that Vietnam plans to implement , including updating reports on gender equality, migrant workers' rights, eliminating child labor, and building a common ASEAN database.

In particular, Vietnam exchanged experiences in digital transformation in the field of labor and employment; promoting employment for people with disabilities in the region.

In Sessions 4 and 5 , representatives of units under the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant ministries, branches and organizations discussed Vietnam's cooperation priorities for the 2026-2030 period , including: Strengthening occupational safety and health, promoting green skills training, protecting vulnerable labor groups and preparing for Vietnam's role as Chair of the ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network ( OSHNET) 2026 .

Opinions also agreed on the need to take advantage of technical and financial support resources from international partners to effectively implement cooperation activities, and at the same time prepare content for discussion at the upcoming ASEAN Senior Labor Officials Meeting (SLOM) and SLOM+3 in Cambodia.

Thu Giang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/viet-nam-chu-dong-dinh-hinh-uu-tien-lao-dong-viec-lam-trong-cong-dong-asean-102251017113135459.htm