What would a real win-win look like?

Last week a delegation from Australia came to Cebu, which doesn't happen often. I was glad to be invited. Half the room was Australian, half local, and the mood was warm and friendly.

They'd come to do business. The business turned out to be recruitment. Young Filipinos trained in Australia for the jobs Australia can't fill. Aged care, nursing, plumbing, electrical work.

Nothing wrong with that. Australia needs the workers. Plenty of Filipinos want the higher salaries, and a place in the large and powerful force of Overseas Filipino Workers who send their savings back home.

Then one of the delegation's leaders stood up and called it 'a two way street'. A win-win. "We want to invest in you so we can all benefit."

I caught him afterwards. I live here now, and from here it looks different. Two years ago I'd have nodded along. Now I'd like the best young Filipinos building their careers at home. He said they get trained and come back.

Some will. I suspect not many.

Australia isn't the only one. Most developed countries are short of the same workers and looking in the same place. And the aid that used to flow the other way is drying up. Development finance to Southeast Asia fell almost 10% in 2024, the lowest in a decade, according to the Lowy Institute. More cuts are already announced.

So here's my version of 'a two way street'. Bring the training here. I'm working on exactly this. Australian colleges setting up campuses in the Philippines, teaching to Australian standards. Those who want to go still go, with the qualification already in hand. Those who prefer to stay become the nurses and electricians their own country needs. And the college earns its fees in the region where the growth is.

Recruiting runs one way. Teaching runs both.

PS. I’m starting a second, shorter newsletter just on Vietnam. Ground Level: Vietnam is one story from the street every two weeks, and why it matters. The first issue goes out this week. It’s a separate list, so you’ll only get it if you sign up here.​

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