Participants in the 21^st ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM) will deal with polices on human resource development, employment, social insurance, industrial relation, migrant workers and other issues relating to labour in the region, said Vietnam’s Permanent Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Dam Huu Duc at a press briefing in Hanoi on May 17.

Regarding the human resource development, Mr Duc said the ministers will focus their discussions on how to improve skills for workers toward a common labour market in ASEAN, where a worker from a country can secure jobs in another country.

To set up the common labour market, Vietnam, as the chair of the meeting, will lead the delegates to discuss and build a set of skill standards for common professions in ASEAN, he added, elaborating that those workers who meet the standards can be accepted in all ASEAN member countries.

Results of the discussion will be submitted to the ASEAN Summit that is scheduled to take place in Hanoi in October, said the Deputy Minister.

Following the 21^st ALMM, ASEAN labour ministers will meet their counterparts from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The meeting will evaluate the effectiveness of cooperation in human resource development, employment and social security between ASEAN and those partners and discuss cooperation plans in the time to come.