ABSTRACT
Labour is both central and peripheral to regional integration. It is central because the conditions under which labour works and the ability of business groups to access particular types of labour are integral components of regional economic agreements. Indeed, one could build a regional integration typology based upon provisions for labour rights and mobility. This would have the European Union (EU) with some common labour rights and representation on one end of the spectrum and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at the opposite end, because it only deals with labour issues under the heading of human resources. Labour is also central to the regional project because migration patterns and investment strategies are working at the non-state level to bind regions together.
