Labour Ministry To Set Up Worker Database

Source: Vientiane Times

A Labour Registration and Data Platform will be set up in Vientiane for the compilation of information concerning both Lao and foreign nationals working in Laos.

The centre will record the terms of foreigners’ employment contracts, their income, and their obligations under the Labour Law, such as the amount of tax they should pay.

It will apply the tax revenue management information system (TAXRIS) used by the Ministry of Finance and the Labour Modern Information System (LMIS) used by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

The facility will record the movements of foreign workers, such as when they start and end a job.

The centre will also track worker demand and employment rates, which will be used to help tackle the unemployment problem by assessing areas experiencing worker shortage and creating jobs.

An agreement on cooperation in the construction of the LRDP was signed in Vientiane on Friday by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Mr Phongsaysack Intharath, and a representative of KM IT company, Mr Vichith Xindavong.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mrs Khambay Khattiya, and Deputy Director General of the Labour Management Department, Mr Thai Seng Aloun.

Under the agreement, a database will record and store all the details of workers’ employment.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and KM IT will jointly set up the Labour Registration and Data Platform.

The two parties will implement the agreed areas of cooperation through joint participation in workshops, seminars, meetings and conferences about the progress of the project.

Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony, Mr Thai Seng Aloun said advanced technology would be used to set up a system to record information about workers in a database in a way that would integrate the information obtained from all parties involved.

Mr Vichith said the project would transform the management of the workforce and ensure that the database was comprehensive and up to date.

It would enable the integration of information between ministries and the private sector, record worker numbers and track foreign workers so that their salaries were recorded and payment of taxes was monitored.

“We will then go through the next steps, such as installing equipment to train employees, and registering all training courses to check they meet employers’ technical specifications,” Mr Vichith said.