Samoa Arrangements for Labour Mobility in the Pacific Islands will be discussed by representatives from nine countries at a four-day regional workshop on ‘Movement of Natural Persons and Labour Mobility’ starting in Apia, Samoa, today, 11 September 2023.

The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) Implementation Unit is hosting the workshop. It aims to enhance understanding and explore the interconnections between Trade in Services and the Arrangement on Labour Mobility to maximise development benefits for PACER Plus parties.

"PACER Plus recognises the potential of human capital mobility to drive regional development," said Roy Lagolago, Head, PACER Plus Implementation Unit.

The workshop aims to address knowledge gaps and foster cooperation among PACER Plus, “ setting the stage for a more robust and interconnected regional trade ecosystem."

The objectives of the PACER Plus Regional Workshop on Movement of Natural Persons and Labour Mobility

1. Capacity building for government officials: Offer a focused capacity building programme for Pacific trade and labour mobility officials on the PACER Plus Movement of Natural Persons Chapter and Arrangement on Labour Mobility to understand how these components can be better utilised to support sustainable economic development in their countries.
2. National Consultations for the Review of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility: Facilitate national consultations to gather valuable input for the ALM Review.

The Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) Chapter of the agreement specifically focuses on facilitating the movement of service providers to promote services trade, while excluding measures related to citizenship, residence, permanent employment, or access to foreign employment markets.

The Arrangement on Labour Mobility (ALM) is a non-legally binding annex to the Agreement, which provides a framework for regional labour mobility cooperation to foster increased development benefits for participating countries.

The workshop will bring together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.