The 7th Ministerial Meeting on Labor and Employment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will open on the 11th in Jeju.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it will hold the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Labor and Employment at the Jeju International Convention Center from today until the 13th.
This meeting, which was suspended after the 2014 meeting in Vietnam, will be held again after 11 years due to consensus among member economies. It will also be the first APEC Ministerial Meeting on Labor and Employment in South Korea in 28 years since it was held in Seoul in 1997.
Attendees will include Minister Jorge Boca Torno from Chile's Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Minister Steven Sim Chee Kiong from Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources, and chief representatives responsible for labor and employment from APEC's 21 member economies.
APEC member countries will discuss policies and cooperation measures to ensure that structural changes in the labor market do not lead to a lack of quality jobs and job gaps, under the theme of "A sustainable labor market and jobs for the future."
A joint statement containing the member countries' policy directions will also be released.
The statement will include plans for ▲ building a labor market to respond to changing labor environments ▲ expanding job safety nets for new types of workers ▲ enhancing vocational training policies linked to industrial demand, such as artificial intelligence (AI) ▲ implementing proactive labor market policies in response to demographic changes like low birth rates and aging populations ▲ strengthening cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region through policy exchanges.
The contents related to addressing digital acceleration represented by AI and changes in demographics will be reflected in the agenda of the APEC summit to be held in October.
Various side events will also showcase our employment and labor services incorporating advanced technologies like AI. Employment services for various stages—schooling, employment, current job, and re-employment—and AI interview programs, as well as training and industrial safety equipment using virtual reality (VR), will be exhibited. It is reported that private corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Kakao, HD Hyundai, and HD Hyundai Marine Solution will also participate.
In addition, the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated that it plans to establish a regular forum called the "APEC Sustainable Jobs Forum" (tentative) to ensure that the outcomes of this meeting lead to practical implementation. Various stakeholders including the government, academic experts, and corporations are expected to participate.
Vice Minister Kim Min-seok (acting Minister) plans to hold bilateral talks with chief representatives from four countries, including Japan and Thailand, during the meeting to discuss key issues in the employment and labor sector.
Vice Minister Kim noted, "This meeting will be an opportunity to demonstrate our country's policy capabilities and experiences by sharing them with APEC member economies on the global stage," adding, "The APEC Ministerial Meeting on Labor and Employment will serve as a platform and a center of cooperation to achieve common core values of sustainable labor markets and job creation within APEC."