The Long Road Ahead

Status Report on the Implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements on Professional Services

Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza, Guntur Sugiyarto

• Publisher: Asian Development Bank
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9789292577360
• Topic: Derecho
• Subtopic: Derecho laboral y del empleo

Over the past decade, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) in seven occupations, all designed to facilitate professional mobility within the region. MRAs are not easy to operationalize, however. Despite progress in key areas, member states face complex challenges as they move toward full implementation. This report is the latest in a project by the Asian Development Bank and the Migration Policy Institute to improve understanding of the barriers to the free movement of professionals within ASEAN and to support the development of strategies to overcome these hurdles. The report draws on the insights of nearly 400 ASEAN and member state officials, private sector employers, training directors, and others who participated in focus group discussions, meetings, and surveys.

Appendixes

APPENDIX 1: METHODOLOGY

A total of 387 individuals from the ASEAN region and beyond directly contributed to the findings of this report. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) consulted with officials in all ministries in the 10 ASEAN Member States directly responsible for Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) implementation, as well as with private-sector employers, academics, training directors, members of MRA monitoring committees, and current and former ASEAN Secretariat officials.

The research employed a three-pronged approach:

First, in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), MPI convened 12 full days of focus group discussions and meetings between May and September 2015. These forums engaged regional and international experts on mutual recognition and professional mobility, and featured specific presentations on progress and challenges to MRA implementation at national and regional levels. More than 100 MRA stakeholders and experts, including a former Secretary-General of ASEAN, Chair of the ASEAN Business Council, and officials from key ministries in MRA development across ASEAN, attended the convenings. Appendix 2 lists the names and affiliations of all participants in the formal meetings and interviews.

Second, MPI administered a qualitative survey on the development and implementation of MRAs in each Member State The survey examined the specific context of MRA implementation, including evolving bottlenecks to completion. Between August 2015 and February 2016, MPI, working with local researchers in the 10 Member States, received responses from 311 individuals from relevant government ministries, the private sector, professional associations, educational institutions, and the human resources field. Appendix 3 lists the affiliations of all stakeholders who completed the MRA implementation survey (Note: Several respondents chose to omit their names in order to answer more openly).

Third, MPI reviewed key documents and presentations relating to the conclusion and implementation of the ASEAN MRAs on professional services. These included guides and reviews published by ASEAN; handbooks on implementation progress; and studies conducted by the International Labour Organization, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and ASEAN-Australian Development Cooperation Program Phase II.

APPENDIX 2: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN FORMAL MEETINGS AND INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS

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Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Tables, Figures, and Boxes
• Abbreviations
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• I. Introduction
• II. The Role of Mutual Recognition Arrangements in the ASEAN Economic Community: Ambitions and Expectations
• III. Paper vs. Practice: Key Progress on Mutual Recognition Arrangements Implementation
• IV. Towards Full Implementation: Key Challenges
• V. Beyond Issues of Mutual Recognition: Linking Development and Mobility
• VI. Conclusion: Taking the “ASEAN Way” Forward
• Appendixes
• References
• Back Cover