ASEAN labour statistician network launched ahead of Singapore’s 2027 chairmanship

His Excellency San Lwin, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (left) and Ministry of Manpower’s permanent secretary Stanley Loh at the launch of the ASEAN Labour Statisticians Network in Singapore on Oct 27.

ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Published Oct 27, 2026, 11:05 AM

Updated Oct 27, 2026, 02:04 PM

ASEAN launched the Labour Statisticians Network on 27 October to improve workforce planning with shared data, methods and expertise ahead of Singapore’s 2027 chairmanship.

Singapore will lead a new office and knowledge portal, while joint projects like the AI Exposure Index and Green Jobs Report will help members spot changes in jobs and skills earlier.

Experts said the network will tackle data gaps and fragmentation, build trust and continuity, and strengthen regional and international cooperation to support workers, businesses and policy makers.

SINGAPORE - Businesses and workers can benefit from a more coordinated system of data collection and analysis, as ASEAN member states join a new network to strengthen workforce planning across the region.

The ASEAN Labour Statisticians Network (ALSN), which launched on Oct 27, aims to help member states identify emerging trends jobs and skills earlier and ensure sustained cooperation among countries. This comes ahead of the Republic’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2027.

The platform aims to create a stronger regional community where knowledge, methodologies and expertise can be shared. This comes amid rapid changes to jobs and skills across ASEAN and globally as demographic shifts and artificial intelligence reshape labour markets.

Singapore has been endorsed to establish and lead the network in the next five years to foster and strengthen cooperation among labour experts, statistical communities and policymakers to navigate the future of work.

“As the world of work evolves, our statistics must keep pace to support our policymakers,” said the Ministry of Manpower’s permanent secretary Stanley Loh in his welcome address at the network’s inaugural forum held at Sheraton Towers on Oct 27.

“We need to review what we measure, improve how we collect information and ensure that our findings address the questions policymakers need answered,” he said.

He noted that as ASEAN’s labour markets differ in economic structures, demographic profiles and policy priorities, their statistical systems bring different strengths and experiences.

“Yet many of us are tackling similar measurement challenges. By sharing methods and testing approaches together, we can develop useful answers faster and make better use of our resources, ” he said.

A new office, led by MOM’s Manpower Research and Statistics Department, will support the implementation of the network’s priorities and maintain cooperation between meetings. Each ASEAN country may nominate up to two focal points from relevant labour statistical or research institutions to join ALSN, and the office will work with the respective representatives to identify priorities and develop joint projects.

Ministry of Manpower’s permanent secretary Stanley Loh said ASEAN countries are tackling similar measurement challenges, and make better use of shared resources. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Ministry of Manpower’s permanent secretary Stanley Loh said ASEAN countries are tackling similar measurement challenges, and make better use of shared resources.

At the forum, which brought together over 150 leading labour market experts from ASEAN , MOM’s Loh also announced the launch of a regional knowledge portal. It will serve as a platform which pulls together methodologies, research findings, practical tools and lessons from member states, making it easier for teams to access and build on one another’s work.

Ritash Sarna, the Chief Statistician of the International Labour Organisation, said in his keynote speech that international statistical standards don’t require every country to adopt the same policy.

“They allow countries to diagnose their own circumstances, learn from others and design appropriate responses.

“Faster statistics are not necessarily better statistics. More data don’t automatically mean better evidence.”

The network also launched joint incubator projects to support interested member states develop new methods of collecting and analysing labour market information. For example, the AI Exposure Index, which was developed in collaboration with National University of Singapore and Singapore University of Social Sciences, examines how AI could affect specific tasks within jobs instead of assuming that entire occupations will be replaced.

In his opening address at the forum, His Excellency San Lwin, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community urged ASEAN member states to nominate the right people who can benefit the most from the network and share technical expertise with others.

“Ultimately, the success of ALSN would not be measured solely by the number of meetings and activities. It should be reflected in whether our labour market data intelligence is improving and becomes more effective in supporting the policy-making process.”

The ASEAN Green Jobs Report, released on Oct 27, provides a regional assessment of green jobs and green skills across all 11 ASEAN member states. For example, the report showed that the fastest growing green job titles on LinkedIn for 2025 in Singapore include sustainability manager and sustainability consultant, while in the Philippines, these include biologist and agronomist.

MOM’s director of manpower research and statistics Ang Boon Heng, who also chairs the ALSN, told The Straits Times that establishing the network matters to Singapore as developments across ASEAN countries affect businesses and workers.

“Many businesses operate across the region, and shifts in investment, production and demand for skills can influence job opportunities here,” he said, adding that Singapore also benefits from the experience and expertise of other ASEAN member states.

“Working with our ASEAN counterparts gives us a clearer view of these changes and strengthens the evidence behind our employment and skills policies.”

In a keynote panel dialogue moderated by ST’s Assistant Business Editor Cheong Poh Kwan, panellists were asked to share their wish list of research topics they hoped the ALSN would pursue.

ASEAN Secretariat’s head of labour and civil service division Mega Irena said she hoped ALSN could look more into digital platform workers, as this new form of employment was not captured in the traditional labour market information system. She added that there is also scope to improve the quality of statistics and adaptability of methodologies.

MOM’s Ang, who was on the panel, said he hoped to prioritise studying the impact of AI on jobs. He added that his team is also exploring ways to use AI to discover emerging trends not just from structured data like those gathered via surveys, but also from unstructured data, such as information found on social media. Separately, Steve MacFeely, chief statistician at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, said it is important for ALSN to have a clear conflict resolution mechanism. For example, if countries disagree over whether the findings of a joint study should be published, there should be an agreed process for deciding who has the final say.

ALSN’s keynote panel discussion, moderated by ST’s Assistant Business Editor Cheong Poh Kwan, discussed how ASEAN can move beyond parallel national efforts towards a more connected and coordinated ecosystem of knowledge and insights. ST PHOTO: SHARON SALIM

ALSN’s keynote panel discussion, moderated by ST’s Assistant Business Editor Cheong Poh Kwan, discussed how ASEAN can move beyond parallel national efforts towards a more connected and coordinated ecosystem of knowledge and insights.

ST PHOTO: SHARON SALIM

Fostering ties with international labour networks

The establishment of the network will also build international partnerships and support sharing of methods and lessons.

This can be done through study trips to institutions with advanced labour market information system, including learning best practices from the European Network for Regional Labour Market Monitoring (EN RLMM), which has been set up and running for over two decades.

For example, ALSN’s first global engagement visit took place in September in Bilbao, Spain.

Over 20 delegates from nine ASEAN member states including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines attended workshops and site visits organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) RECOTwin , an ASEAN-German cooperation project commissioned by the German government. GIZ works with ASEAN labour officials on labour market and skills policy.

Over 20 delegates from nine ASEAN member states joined the study trip from Sept 14 to 18, 2026. PHOTO: GIZ

Over 20 delegates from nine ASEAN member states joined the study trip from Sept 14 to 18, 2026.

MOM also works with GIZ and the ASEAN Secretariat to support the implementation of the network’s agreed work plan and activities for the next five years.

“Until now, regional cooperation in this area has mostly taken the form of studies, one-off workshops and study visits,” said Darjusch Tafreschi, labour market policy lead at GIZ RECOTwin, noting that these were valuable but episodic.

“What was missing was a structure that keeps practitioners learning from each other between those events.

“Singapore’s decision to propose and convene the network is what makes this continuity possible. Equally important, the ALSN sits within ASEAN’s own structures, so it belongs to all member states.”

ST was invited to the study trip ahead of Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, which will focus on deepening regional integration and strengthening partnerships beyond the region to make ASEAN a more effective single market.

Site visits to learn more about the European labour markets included the Eustat, the Basque Statistics Institute; Lanbide, the Basque Employment Service; and Peñascal Kooperatiba, a vocational training provider helping vulnerable youth enter the labour market by equipping them with in-demand skills like carpentry and dressmaking.

During the study trip, GIZ facilitated a discussion where delegates were split into three groups to reveal challenges they faced in collecting labour data in their countries, and discussed potential solutions. Some challenges raised include data fragmentation and overlapping of data.

The five-day study trip in Bilbao, Spain aims to help ASEAN delegates deepen their technical knowledge through workshops and site visits to institutions with advanced labour market information system practices. PHOTO: GIZ

The five-day study trip in Bilbao, Spain aims to help ASEAN delegates deepen their technical knowledge through workshops and site visits to institutions with advanced labour market information system practices.

“Malaysia’s primary hurdle is not a lack of data, but streamlining cross-agency coordination to transform diverse administrative streams into unified, policy-ready insights,” said a delegate from Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources who took part in the discussion.

The aim is to move beyond traditional data reporting toward delivering actionable labour market intelligence that directly informs policymaking and supports workers, employers and other key stakeholders, she said.

Between Singapore and Malaysia, there are some similarities in how the two nations collect labour data. For example, both utilise national portals such as MYFutureJobs in Malaysia and MyCareersFuture in Singapore to track live vacancies, skill demands and wage trends alongside official statistical surveys.

ASEAN delegates were also in Bilbao to attend the three-day EN RLMM Annual Conference 2026, where members across Europe exchange and evaluate new data and methodologies related to topics like monitoring the transformation of jobs and skills. Since 2005, there have been 21 annual conferences held in different regions across Europe and beyond.

Founder and coordinator of the European network Christa Larsen said that fostering exchange among members has helped to transparency regarding the current and future state of regional labour markets.

“Understanding how other regions address these issues helps members derive innovative solutions for their own labour markets,” she said in an interview with ST.

Christa also proposed two elements that may be critical to ALSN’s future success.

“First, a foundation of trust where members collaborate without competing, and second, the principle that a member’s return on investment grows exponentially with their own active involvement.”

Sharon Salim is a business correspondent at The Straits Times, with a focus on jobs, workplace culture and trends.

Ministry of Manpower

ILO/International Labour Organization

10 月 27 日，东盟社会文化共同体副秘书长桑伦阁下（左）与人力部常任秘书罗志强在新加坡出席东盟劳工统计员网络启动仪式。

圣路易斯照片：德斯蒙德·福

发布于 2026 年 10 月 27 日上午 11:05

更新于2026年10月27日下午2:04

东盟于 10 月 27 日启动了劳动力统计员网络，旨在通过共享数据、方法和专业知识来改进劳动力规划，为新加坡在 2027 年担任轮值主席国做好准备。

新加坡将牵头建立一个新的办公室和知识门户网站，而人工智能暴露指数和绿色就业报告等联合项目将帮助成员更早地发现工作和技能的变化。

专家表示，该网络将解决数据缺口和碎片化问题，建立信任和连续性，并加强区域和国际合作，以支持工人、企业和政策制定者。

新加坡——随着东盟成员国加入一个旨在加强整个地区劳动力规划的新网络，企业和员工可以从更加协调的数据收集和分析系统中受益。

东盟劳动力统计网络（ALSN）于10月27日正式启动，旨在帮助成员国更早地识别新兴就业和技能趋势，并确保各国之间持续合作。此举正值菲律宾即将于2027年担任东盟轮值主席国之际。

该平台旨在构建一个更强大的区域社群，促进知识、方法和专业技能的共享。与此同时，随着人口结构变化和人工智能重塑劳动力市场，东盟乃至全球的就业和技能格局正经历着快速变革。

新加坡已获准在未来五年内建立并领导该网络，以促进和加强劳工专家、统计界和政策制定者之间的合作，从而引领未来的工作发展。

“随着工作世界的演变，我们的统计数据必须与时俱进，才能为我们的政策制定者提供支持，”人力部常任秘书罗志强在10月27日于喜来登酒店举行的该网络首届论坛的欢迎致辞中说道。

他说：“我们需要重新审视我们衡量的内容，改进我们收集信息的方式，并确保我们的研究结果能够解答政策制定者需要解答的问题。”

他指出，由于东盟各国的劳动力市场在经济结构、人口结构和政策重点方面存在差异，因此它们的统计系统也各有优势和经验。

“然而，我们许多人都在应对类似的测量挑战。通过分享方法和共同测试途径，我们可以更快地找到有用的答案，并更好地利用我们的资源，”他说。

由人力部人力研究与统计司牵头设立的新办公室将支持东盟劳工统计网络（ALSN）各项优先事项的落实，并维护各次会议之间的合作。每个东盟国家可从相关的劳工统计或研究机构提名至多两名联络人加入东盟劳工统计网络，该办公室将与各联络人合作，确定优先事项并制定联合项目。

人力部常任秘书罗志强表示，东盟各国正在应对类似的计量挑战，并更好地利用共享资源。（海峡时报照片：傅德明）

人力部常任秘书斯坦利·罗表示，东盟各国正在应对类似的衡量挑战，并更好地利用共享资源。

在汇聚了150多位东盟劳动力市场专家的论坛上，人力部部长罗先生还宣布启动一个区域知识门户网站。该网站将作为一个平台，汇集成员国的方法论、研究成果、实用工具和经验教训，使各团队更容易获取彼此的工作成果并在此基础上开展合作。

国际劳工组织首席统计学家里塔什·萨尔纳在主旨演讲中表示，国际统计标准并不要求每个国家都采取相同的政策。

“它们使各国能够诊断自身情况，向其他国家学习，并制定适当的应对措施。

“统计速度快并不一定意味着统计结果更好。数据量大也不一定意味着证据更充分。”

该网络还启动了联合孵化项目，以支持感兴趣的成员国开发收集和分析劳动力市场信息的新方法。例如，与新加坡国立大学和新加坡社会科学大学合作开发的“人工智能暴露指数”考察了人工智能如何影响工作中的特定任务，而不是假设整个职业都会被取代。

在论坛开幕致辞中，东盟社会文化共同体副秘书长桑伦阁下敦促东盟成员国提名最能从该网络中受益并与其他成员国分享技术专长的合适人选。

“归根结底，ALSN的成功不应仅仅以会议和活动的数量来衡量。它应该体现在我们的劳动力市场数据情报是否得到改进，以及在支持政策制定过程中是否变得更加有效。”

10月27日发布的《东盟绿色就业报告》对东盟11个成员国的绿色就业和绿色技能进行了区域评估。例如，报告显示，在新加坡，LinkedIn上2025年增长最快的绿色职位包括可持续发展经理和可持续发展顾问；而在菲律宾，则是生物学家和农学家。

人力部人力研究与统计主任兼东盟劳工网络主席洪文兴告诉《海峡时报》，建立该网络对新加坡至关重要，因为东盟各国的发展会影响企业和工人。

“许多企业在整个地区开展业务，投资、生产和技能需求的变化会影响这里的就业机会，”他说道，并补充说，新加坡也受益于其他东盟成员国的经验和专业知识。

“与东盟伙伴合作，让我们能够更清楚地了解这些变化，并加强我们就业和技能政策背后的证据。”

在由《海峡时报》助理商业编辑张宝坤主持的主题小组对话中，小组成员被要求分享他们希望ALSN开展的研究课题清单。

东盟秘书处劳工和公务员司司长梅加·伊雷娜表示，她希望东盟劳工统计网络（ALSN）能够更多地关注数字平台工作者，因为这种新型就业形式并未被纳入传统的劳动力市场信息系统。她补充说，统计数据的质量和方法的适应性也还有提升空间。

人力部（MOM）的Ang是该小组的成员之一，他表示希望优先研究人工智能对就业的影响。他还补充说，他的团队也在探索如何利用人工智能发现新兴趋势，不仅包括通过调查等方式收集的结构化数据，还包括社交媒体等非结构化数据。另一方面，经济合作与发展组织（OECD）首席统计学家Steve MacFeely表示，ALSN必须建立明确的冲突解决机制。例如，如果各国对联合研究的结果是否应该发表存在分歧，则应制定一套商定的程序来决定最终的决定权。

由《海峡时报》助理商业编辑张宝坤主持的ALSN主题小组讨论，探讨了东盟如何超越各自为政的国家层面，构建一个更加互联互通、协调一致的知识和洞见生态系统。《海峡时报》摄影：莎伦·萨利姆

ALSN 的主题小组讨论由《海峡时报》助理商业编辑张宝坤主持，探讨了东盟如何超越各自为政的国家努力，走向一个更加紧密联系、协调一致的知识和见解生态系统。

圣路易斯照片：莎伦·萨利姆

加强与国际劳工网络的联系

该网络的建立还将促进国际伙伴关系的建立，并支持方法和经验的分享。

这可以通过前往拥有先进劳动力市场信息系统的机构进行考察学习来实现，包括向欧洲区域劳动力市场监测网络（EN RLMM）学习最佳实践，该网络已经建立并运行了二十多年。

例如，ALSN 的首次全球交流访问于 9 月在西班牙毕尔巴鄂举行。

来自包括马来西亚、印度尼西亚、泰国和菲律宾在内的九个东盟成员国的20多名代表参加了由德国国际合作机构（GIZ）RECOTwin项目组织的研讨会和实地考察。RECOTwin是德国政府委托的东盟-德国合作项目，GIZ与东盟劳工官员在劳动力市场和技能政策方面开展合作。

来自九个东盟成员国的20多名代表于2026年9月14日至18日参加了此次考察访问。图片：德国国际合作机构（GIZ）

2026年9月14日至18日，来自九个东盟成员国的20多名代表参加了此次考察访问。

人力部还与德国国际合作机构 (GIZ) 和东盟秘书处合作，支持该网络未来五年商定的工作计划和活动的实施。

“到目前为止，该领域的区域合作主要采取研究、一次性研讨会和考察访问的形式，”德国国际合作机构 (GIZ) RECOTwin 的劳动力市场政策负责人 Darjusch Tafreschi 表示，并指出这些合作很有价值，但却是零星的。

“所缺少的是一种能够让从业者在这些活动之间互相学习的机制。

“新加坡提议并召集成立该网络，正是这一决定使得网络的延续性成为可能。同样重要的是，东盟地方安全网络（ALSN）隶属于东盟自身的组织架构，因此它属于所有成员国。”

在新加坡于 2027 年担任东盟轮值主席国之前，《海峡时报》受邀参加了此次考察之旅。此次考察将重点关注深化区域一体化和加强区域外伙伴关系，以使东盟成为一个更有效的单一市场。

为了更深入了解欧洲劳动力市场，我们实地考察了以下机构：巴斯克统计局 (Eustat)、巴斯克就业服务中心 (Lanbide) 以及职业培训机构 Peñascal Kooperatiba，该机构通过为弱势青年提供木工和服装制作等热门技能，帮助他们进入劳动力市场。

在考察期间，德国国际合作机构（GIZ）组织了一场讨论会，与会代表被分成三组，分别阐述各自国家在收集劳动力数据方面面临的挑战，并探讨可能的解决方案。其中一些挑战包括数据碎片化和数据重叠。

此次为期五天的西班牙毕尔巴鄂考察之旅旨在通过研讨会和实地考察拥有先进劳动力市场信息系统实践的机构，帮助东盟代表加深技术知识。图片：德国国际合作机构（GIZ）

为期五天的西班牙毕尔巴鄂考察之旅旨在通过研讨会和实地考察拥有先进劳动力市场信息系统实践的机构，帮助东盟代表加深技术知识。

一位参加讨论的马来西亚人力资源部代表表示：“马来西亚面临的主要障碍不是缺乏数据，而是简化跨部门协调，将各种行政流程转化为统一的、可用于制定政策的见解。”

她表示，目标是超越传统的数据报告，提供可操作的劳动力市场情报，直接为政策制定提供信息，并为工人、雇主和其他主要利益相关者提供支持。

新加坡和马来西亚在收集劳动力数据方面有一些相似之处。例如，两国都利用国家门户网站，如马来西亚的MYFutureJobs和新加坡的MyCareersFuture，来追踪实时职位空缺、技能需求和工资趋势，并结合官方统计调查。

东盟代表也出席了在毕尔巴鄂举行的为期三天的2026年欧洲区域劳动力市场监测网络（EN RLMM）年会。该年会汇聚了来自欧洲各地的成员，共同交流和评估与就业和技能转型监测等主题相关的新数据和方法。自2005年以来，该网络已在欧洲及其他地区的不同区域举办了21届年会。

欧洲网络创始人兼协调员克里斯塔·拉森表示，促进成员之间的交流有助于提高区域劳动力市场现状和未来状况的透明度。

“了解其他地区如何解决这些问题有助于成员们为自己的劳动力市场找到创新的解决方案，”她在接受《海峡时报》采访时表示。

克丽斯塔还提出了两个可能对ALSN未来成功至关重要的要素。

“首先，要建立在成员间相互信任、合作而非竞争的基础上；其次，要遵循成员积极参与就能获得指数级回报的原则。”

Sharon Salim 是《海峡时报》的商业记者，主要关注就业、职场文化和趋势。

人力部

国际劳工组织