International Employment Lawyer is delighted to announce it will be hosting its inaugural Asia-Pacific Employment Summit.

The full-day event will bring together senior in-house and private practice lawyers, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing multinational employers and their counsel across the region.

A combination of interactive plenary and breakout panel discussions will explore a host of topics, including the benefits of hybrid working strategies; the creation of modern D&I programmes; how to incorporate AI into your workforce; and undertaking effective cross-border internal investigations in compliance with local laws.

For further information about the summit including registration, speaking, and sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch. 

Programme: 

8:30 - 9:00: Registration and coffee

9:00 - 9:15: Welcome and introductions

9:15 - 9:45: Keynote speech

9:45 - 11:00: Plenary Session: Regional labour law outlook

Reflecting on a period of unprecedented workplace change, a panel of legal experts will consider the key national labour reforms taking place across Asia-Pacific and how international trends and local politics may affect various industries crucial to regional economies.

11:00 - 11:30: Coffee break

11:30 - 12:45: Breakout Session 1: Working in covid’s shadow

Three years after the emergence of covid-19, labour markets across Asia have finally begun to recover from the pandemic. As covid restrictions subside, employers are faced with a choice: embrace flexible working as the future of work, or demand staff return to the office. A panel of experts will explore the risks and rewards of both options and provide best practice advice on overcoming employee-related challenges, including remote-worker monitoring, data protection, and wellbeing concerns.

11:30 - 12:45: Breakout Session 2: The robot workforce

Spurred on by the covid-pandemic, the implementation of AI into our everyday working lives continues at pace. With Asia-Pacific the fastest growing AI market in the world, several local governments have begun introducing various measures to regulate the development and application of this new technology. From productivity improvements to discrimination concerns, a panel of experts will consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of greater automation and machine learning in the workplace.

12:45 - 2:00: Networking Lunch

2:00 - 3:15: Breakout Session 3: Modern thinking on D&I

A cultural melting pot of hundreds of ethnicities, languages, and dialects, conflict can occur with Asia-Pacific’s workplaces. Across geographical and cultural borders, how can employers create diverse and inclusive workforces and also ensure their workers are treated equally and equitably? From tackling the gender pay gap to integrating foreign talent into local workforces, a panel of experts will explore hot-button discrimination topics, and why multinationals should not rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to D&I across Asia – but instead provide tailored strategies to each jurisdiction.

2:00 - 3:15: Breakout Session 4: Tomorrow’s pay and benefits

To win the global war for talent, employers are under increasing pressure to offer benefits that meet their employees’ needs. But given the expansion of multigenerational workforces and rising benefit costs, this is far from straightforward. From being paid in cryptocurrency to designing customisable benefit plans, a panel of experts will consider the latest pay and workplace perk trends, including their impact on ESG goals.

3:15 - 3:45: Coffee break

3:45 - 4:30: In conversation with…

A fireside chat with a leading in-house counsel to examine the opportunities and challenges of key cross-border trends impacting their multinational business.

4:30 - 5:45: Plenary Session: Cross-border investigations

From fraud and modern slavery concerns to harassment and discrimination, in-house employment counsel worldwide are being kept busy with a host of multinational internal investigations. A panel of experts will consider the key investigation trends and highlight the challenges to completing an effective internal probe across multiple jurisdictions.

5:45 – Close and networking drinks reception