ASEAN Economic Integration Demand of Unskilled Labours

ASEAN leaders have Ceclared officially the formation of ASEAN Community in 2015, with ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as one of its pillars. The formation of AEC was intended to have an integrated economy of ten member countries of ASEAN to become a single market and production based. This ASEAN region would have been characterized with free flow of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and capital. ASEAN has selected some economic sectors as priorities in gaining high productivity and joining the global value chain. Selecting and absorbing potential skilled labor force capacity into ASEAN production base program can achieve a high productivity. ASEAN has agreed on 8 selected professionals that can move treely within ASEAN region by Lrtilizing MRA mechanism. This arlicle discusses the ASEAN commitment toward this agreed agenda and reviews its implementation in the ASEAN mentber countries. This arlicle argues that ASEAN has failed to maximize its potential labor fbrce, as ASEAN has not included low-skilled labor in its programs. ASEAN free flow of skilled labor is not really a fi'ee nrovement of labor.