ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an overview of employment regulation and industrial relations (IR) systems in Southeast Asia. It focuses primarily on the major economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The chapter presents an overview of national economies in the selected Southeast Asian countries and identifies distinct features of labor markets in the region. It also describes key aspects of national regulatory frameworks, looking in turn at forms of employment; wages; trade unions and other forms of workers' representation; employer associations; collective bargaining; and dispute resolution. National economic development strategies in the region have been based on export-oriented industrialization (EOI), including increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and market liberalization. Employment regulations in Southeast Asia generally recognize the rights of workers to form and join unions, and participate in union activities. Multinational companies (MNCs) constitute an important influence on, and source of, employment regulation in the region.