As a highlight of Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, the ASEAN Green Jobs Forum (AGJF) 2025 took place on 27–28 August 2025 in Putrajaya, with hosting by the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), support from the ASEAN Secretariat, and backing through Australia’s Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative.
Forum Focus: Future-Proofing Skills in the Era of Green and Digital Transformation
Under the theme, “AI, Digitalisation and Green Jobs: Future-Proofing Skills and Talents for ASEAN”, this year’s forum marked a pivotal shift—from envisioning a greener workforce to charting actionable strategies. Key objectives included:
- Spotlighting green growth opportunities and the evolving workforce transformation across ASEAN economies.
- Steering the twin transitions of digitalisation and decarbonisation, and exploring how they reshape job demands and skillsets.
- Highlighting scalable partnership models, case studies, and policy frameworks ready for replication throughout the region.
Dynamic Agenda: Cross-Sector Collaboration & Inclusive Strategies
AGJF 2025 featured a robust program designed to drive real-world impact:
- Labour Leaders’ Plenary & High-Level Dialogues: Ministers and policymakers engaged in critical Q&A exchanges to align workforce planning with ASEAN’s green agenda.
- Thematic Panels, covering:
- Green value chain hotspots in agriculture, transport, energy, and supply chains
- Corporate strategies to adopt green transitions
- Financing innovations, including green portfolios and micro-financing
- Just transition dialogues—focusing on risks faced by marginalized communities and inclusive safeguards (social protection, equitable opportunity).
- Networking Sessions spanning ministers, industry leaders, academia, and civil society—to build actionable coalitions for ASEAN’s shared green talent ecosystem.
Building on ASEAN’s Commitment to Green Jobs
AGJF 2025 advances long-standing regional ambitions under the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting Green Jobs for Equity and Inclusive Growth (2018). It also reinforces institutional momentum, including frameworks for just transition, and calls for a Regional Centre of Excellence in Green Jobs.
Looking Ahead: From Insights to Implementation
AGJF 2025 set the stage for follow-up actions:
- Development of an ASEAN Framework and Action Plan for Just and Inclusive Green Job Transition (2025–2030).
- Establishment of a Regional Centre of Excellence for Green Jobs (AGJCOE) to catalyse training, investment, and policy alignment across member states.
About ASEAN Green Jobs Forum 2025
The AGJF is the ASEAN region’s flagship platform for cross-sector collaboration on sustainable workforce development. This year’s forum convened top policymakers, labour officials, educators, industry leaders, and social partners to align green skills development with technological transformation and regional job creation.
