Zero placement fees, one day: Asean’s long game on migrant worker recruitment

The 49th Asean Summit and Related Meetings have seen the adoption of a regional declaration aimed at curbing abusive recruitment practices and strengthening protections for migrant workers, particularly Filipinos. The Asean Declaration on Fair, Ethical and Sustainable Recruitment for Empowered Migrant Workers seeks to promote transparent, fair, and accountable recruitment practices, prevent excessive recruitment fees, and ensure equal employment opportunities and protection for migrant workers.

Secretary of the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers Hans Leo Cacdac stated that the declaration would help protect around 600,000 Filipino migrant workers across Asean member states by strengthening safeguards throughout the recruitment and employment process. The agreement also addresses emerging challenges in labour migration, particularly online recruitment and employment schemes that expose workers to exploitation.

Cacdac emphasized the need for closer coordination between countries of origin and destination, including the recognition of each other’s recruitment licensing and processing systems. The declaration will be covered by the Asean Committee on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers and has been included in its 2026–2030 work plan.

Implementation initiatives are expected to begin in early 2027, with the long-term goal of moving towards zero placement fees across Asean, although member states have yet to harmonise their regulatory systems.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.