ILAB - Office of International Relations (OIR) - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

APEC was established in 1989 to promote economic cooperation and integration in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC requires no treaty obligations of its 21 member economies and decisions made within APEC are by consensus only.

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of International Labor Affairs heads the U.S. Government delegation to APEC's Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), which addresses issues dealing with worker training, education, human resources, productivity and management. Within the HRDWG, the Labor and Social Protection Network (LSPN) promotes strong and flexible labor markets and strengthening social protection, including social safety nets, through collaboration, technical co-operation and the provision of labor market and social protection information and analysis to address sustainable human resource development across APEC member economies.

The last meeting of the HRDWG took place in Chicago on June 22-26, 2009. Delegates from 16 member economies participated in a multi-panel session on career and technical education. Delegates in the LSPN also engaged in an extensive discussion on their respective economies’ experiences with and responses to the global economic crisis.

As an active member of the HRDWG, DOL has organized three events on various topics related to employment and training issues since 2006. These meetings, which were designed to assist APEC member economies address workforce demands in the Asia-Pacific region, include:

August 2008: "Developing Effective Public-Private Partnerships: Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century Global Workforce"
This symposium, co-hosted with the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, was held in Singapore at the APEC Secretariat headquarters. The symposium examined best practice examples of public-private partnerships in implementing labor market and welfare policies and programs in APEC economies. Read symposium outcomes statement (PDF).
September 2007: "Innovations in Human Resources and Economic Development: Ensuring Sustainable Growth in the 21st Century"
Co-hosted by the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment and held in Manila, Philippines, this DOL-organized conference showcased innovative approaches to human resource and economic development and discussed the role of skills credentials, certification, and models for developing such standards. Read conference summary report (PDF).
September 2006: "Strategies for Workforce Development: Keys to Success in the 21st Century"
This event, co-hosted by DOL and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and held in Hanoi, Vietnam, focused on key components of an effective public workforce development system, underscored by the understanding of the critical importance of producing an educated and skilled workforce.

The Human Resources Development Working Group has developed the following tools to promote best practices and to share information on employment- and labor-related issues:

Upcoming APEC and HRDWG meetings and events:

Singapore will host the annual APEC Leaders' Meeting in November 2009, followed by Japan (2010), the United States (2011) and Russia (2012).
The next meeting of the HRDWG will take place in Japan in February 2010.
China will host the next HRD Ministerial Meeting in September 2010.