The ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE), established in 1978, held a Strategic Planning Workshop in 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss how to grow and move the alliance forward. The four key strategies that were developed are as follows:
1) Increase the representativeness of ACE
2) Create an effective platform for employers’ representation within ASEAN
3) Strengthening Financial position/resources of ACE
4) Enhance coordination and cooperation among ACE members
Some progresses were made in the implementation of the strategies. ACE has become a full-fledged organization of all EBMOs of the ASEAN Member States. ACE set up the digital resource platform: ASEAN CONFEDRATION OF EMPLOYERS (aseanemployers.com). ACE is regularly invited to participate in regional fora and workshops such as ILO workshops, ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) and Dialogue with ASEAN Trade Union Congress (ATUC). Nonetheless, ACE has not realized its full potential yet. As a body affiliated to ASEAN, ACE needs to be better engaged with our social partners on economic, social and labour issues affecting the region, especially digital technologies, demographic changes, labour practices in supply chain, occupational safety and health, and climate change which provide both opportunities and challenges for employers and workers in ASEAN.
The regional forum will discuss the priorities of the strategies/thrusts to respond to the greatest impact for ACE in the next few years and solutions on how to successfully implement the selected strategy/thrust.
