ILO DG Hails Steven Sim As The Best Labour Minister In The Region

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- International Labour Organisation (ILO) director-general Gilbert F. Houngbo has praised Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong as one of the region’s most dynamic and visionary labour ministers.

Houngbo said Sim’s leadership in championing the ASEAN Year of Skills 2025 truly reflects Malaysia’s commitment to empowering the region’s workforce for the future and affirming ILO’s readiness to support Malaysia and ASEAN in achieving this vision.

“We are meeting at a defining moment for the world of work. Technological innovation, artificial intelligence, the green and digital transitions, demographic change, and new forms of employment are transforming how we produce, learn and work,” he said in his speech at the ASEAN Year of Skills (AYOS) 2025: Global Skills Forum (GSF) here today.

Also present were Sim and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) vice president, Matthias Thorns.

Houngbo said these transformations bring opportunities for growth and productivity but also risk widening inequalities if workers and enterprises are left without the skills to adapt.

Huongbo emphasised that for the ILO, skills development and lifelong learning are central to a human-centred future of work, as they are key to unlocking productivity, social inclusion, and resilience that requires strong partnerships between governments, employers and workers.

“Governments must provide policies, investment and incentives, while workers’ organisations help ensure that training opportunities are fair, accessible and rights-based. Employers, meanwhile, link learning to economic needs as no skills development strategy can succeed without enterprise engagement,” he said.

Houngbo also highlighted three key areas where joint action can make the greatest difference in addressing the shared responsibility.

“First, innovation. Emerging technologies such as AI are transforming how we design and deliver learning and training. We must ensure that these innovations remain people-centred, ethical, and inclusive.

“Second, inclusion. Every worker, regardless of gender, age, background or employment status, must have the opportunity to learn, reskill and upskill throughout their life. Skills systems must also reach workers in the informal economy, persons with disabilities, and those in rural or underserved areas.

“Third, investment. Skills are the best investment any society can make. This requires adequate and predictable financing through public budgets, levy schemes, and co-investment by enterprises to sustain learning opportunities at every stage of working life,” he said.

The ILO’s Skills and Lifelong Learning Strategy 2030 calls for collective action linking national policies, sectoral initiatives and international cooperation to close skills mismatches and advance social justice, he added.

-- BERNAMA