ASEAN launches labour statistics network with Singapore taking the lead
The initiative will support cooperation on workforce data, with a regional knowledge portal and joint projects to develop new research methods.
Singapore will lead a new ASEAN network for five years to improve cooperation on labour statistics and help countries spot changes in employment and skills needs earlier. The ASEAN Labour Statisticians Network (ALSN) was launched on 27 October, ahead of Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2027.
An office headed by the Ministry of Manpower’s Manpower Research and Statistics Department will coordinate priorities and joint projects with national representatives. Each ASEAN member may nominate up to two representatives from institutions involved in labour statistics or research.
More than 150 labour market experts from ASEAN attended the inaugural forum. Stanley Loh, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said countries faced common measurement problems despite differences in their economies, populations and policy priorities. Sharing methods and testing approaches together could help them find answers more quickly, he said.
Loh also announced a regional portal bringing together research, statistical methods, tools and lessons from member countries. Joint incubator projects will help interested countries develop ways to gather and analyse workforce information.
One example is the AI Exposure Index, developed in collaboration with the National University of Singapore and Singapore University of Social Sciences. It assesses how artificial intelligence could affect individual job tasks rather than assuming whole occupations will disappear.
International Labour Organisation Chief Statistician Ritash Sarna told the forum that international standards allow countries to assess their own circumstances and choose appropriate policies. He cautioned that producing statistics faster, or collecting more data, does not necessarily improve the evidence available.
