Steven Sim: No economy should sacrifice worker rights for trade deals, urges Apec nations to strengthen cross-border protections
PUTRAJAYA, May 13 — Malaysia has emphasised the need for greater cross-border sharing of ideas, best practices and policies to safeguard workers' wellbeing at the 7th APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting (HRDMM), held today in Jeju, South Korea.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim in his address at the meeting reaffirmed that workers' wellbeing 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 platforms like APEC should do more to facilitate formal exchanges of such knowledge and practices among member economies.
He also underscored the importance of a data-driven approach 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 highlighted a TalentCorp, the strategic think tank under the Ministry of Human Resources, report, titled Impact Study of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital, and the Green Economy on the Malaysian Workforce.
'As we look into this issue, we discovered a stark truth staring back at us: that our citizen workers will not be replaced by foreigners but by computers and computer softwares, many of which are produced natively in our country,' he said.
Sim called for unwavering commitment to the protection of workers' rights and wellbeing, urging all economies to uphold this principle even in matters of trade and investment.
'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
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