PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has emphasised the need for greater cross-border sharing of ideas, best practices, and policies to safeguard workers' well-being at the 7th Apec Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting (HRDMM), held on Monday (May 12) in Jeju, South Korea.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said in his address at the meeting that workers' well-being is a critical and non-negotiable component of the Malaysian government's agenda.
"I am extremely fortunate to continuously learn from the insights of colleagues in Asean and beyond. Even during this meeting, I have benefited from the experiences of other member economies in managing policies for platform workers, as I prepare to table Malaysia's historic Gig Workers Bill in the second half of this year," he said.
Sim added that a data-driven approach was essential to understanding job market trends.
"For example, the Malaysian impact report I cited today breaks down the types of jobs affected in different sectors due to new economic trends, enabling the government to design more effective policy interventions," he said.
Sim was referring to the TalentCorp report titled Impact Study of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital and the Green Economy on the Malaysian Workforce.
"The truth is, our citizen workers will not be replaced by foreigners but by computers and computer software, many of which are produced natively in our country," he said.
Sim called for a commitment to protecting workers' rights and well-being, urging all economies to uphold this principle even in trade and investment matters.
"No business deal should come at the cost of workers' welfare, and no economy should be penalised for prioritising worker protection," he added.
Sim is leading the Malaysian delegation to the HRDMM in Jeju, which is being held for the first time in 11 years, with the last meeting taking place in Vietnam in 2014.
The meeting, in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Conference, is themed "Labour Market Sustainability and Future Work". – Bernama
