Will talent mobility within ASEAN bring benefits?
In tandem with the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the tourism sector is on track to implement the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) by the end of next year.
Conceived to facilitate the mobility of employment for skilled tourism labour within the region, the MRA-TP allows qualified tourism professionals from ASEAN member states to apply for jobs in other ASEAN member countries.
Setting up standards
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s Resource Development Agency chairman, I Gede Pitana, explained that member countries agreed to certify professionals using ASEAN toolboxes (training manuals) when the MRA-TP was signed in 2009.
However, of six identified labour divisions, only the training toolbox for housekeeping has been completed and its master assessors and master trainers
trained last year. Tool boxes for front office, F&B, food production, tour operators and travel agencies are due to be finalised this year.
“If we waited for all the toolboxes to be ready to start certifying, it would have been unlikely that we would achieve the targets set for 2015, therefore, a second mechanism was set up,” said Pitana.
“The ASEAN Tourism Professional Monitoring Committee (ATPMC) then came up with the idea of establishing a regional secretariat for ASEAN tourism professionals, which is a pool of master trainers and master assessors,” he added.
During the 17th ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting in Kuching in January, the ministers adopted the terms of reference for the establishment of a regional secretariat in Indonesia to facilitate the implementation of the MRA-TP in 2015.
As each member country has developed and applied its own competency standard, certificates issued by individual countries will be assessed against the ASEAN standard.
Other new training projects and activities this year include developing the ASEAN Tourism Professional Registration System, training ASEAN master trainers and master assessors for front office and F&B services as well as the pilot project for housekeeping under the MRA.
Restrictions apply
Although the MRA-TP seeks to foster “free movement”, job seekers cannot simply pick an opening in another country and apply for it.
Souhn Manivong, director general of tourism development department at Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism – who also represents Laos as the chair of ATPMC – said: “The qualified talents need to register themselves with the ASEAN Professional Registration System, and companies in the member countries who need certain talents can look at the list and invite (candidates).
“So the movement of professionals is by invitation,” he said, adding that once the match is made, the rules and regulations of the host country apply.
Try Chhiv, deputy director general of tourism at Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism and secretariat director at the National Committee for Tourism Professionals, added: “(ASEAN) applies a matching system, so not everyone can just come and work in Cambodia. On the other hand, we also have our own laws (limiting) the number of foreign workers – this will balance domestic and regional manpower.”
Souhn estimates some 2,000 ASEAN tourism professionals will possess ASEAN-recognised certificates by the end of 2015.
Job fight or flight?
The MRA will bring both pros and cons to a country, noted deputy director of department of international cooperation & ASEAN, Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, Hoy Phireak. “It is good because we need to fill the gaps (in the country), and (Cambodians) can also get regional exposure and come back to share their experience,” he said.
Aung Myat Kyaw, chairman of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association, agreed: “Some are concerned that job opportunities will be taken by foreigners, but (others) see the entry of foreign professionals as a chance to learn the expertise of others.”
According to Daniel Corpuz, undersecretary for tourism planning and promotions at Philippines’ Department of Tourism, an average of 25,000 Filipinos graduate from hospitality and tourism-related programmes each year, enough to fill the country’s growing need for talents.
However, Dennis Law, former managing director of Star Holiday Mart Singapore and now executive officer and general manager of global inbound business, JTB Asia-Pacific, foresees significant movements of labour, especially from less developed economies, resulting in a loss of skilled manpower for some countries.
Singapore is likely to attract “all brains”, Law said, adding that few Singaporeans want to work in the service industry. However, this might put a strain on the country’s infrastructure and create social problems, he opined.
More concerned about the readiness of the Indonesian workforce, Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association chairman, Yanti Sukamdani, said: “On one hand, I will be happy to see Indonesian talents getting a job in other countries as it will lift the image of the country.
“On the other hand, we will see competition at home. We see more and more international investment coming, and it is natural that (foreign companies) want to bring in their talents to ensure business is running (well) and profitably,” she added.
Rakyat Travel Malaysia’s general manager, Adam Kamal, pointed out that not all companies will employ foreigners. “It will depend on whether (companies) need an expertise that cannot be found locally, and they also need to consider the remuneration for foreigners,” he said.
Overseas talents are not necessarily more expensive than hiring locals though, Yanti commented. “The Indonesian labour unions keep asking for an increase in regional minimum wages. If competent foreign workers are more economical, can the Indonesian talents compete with them?”
This article was first published in TTG Asia, March 28, 2014 on page 2. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
