Southeast Asia’s digital landscape is characterised by a young, mobile-first, and tech-savvy population. Yet technological advancement is outpacing policy adaptation, creating complex governance challenges for the future of work. The panel explored how TFGI’s New Models of Work research reveals that when international wages flow into local economies, they reshape rental markets, shift community norms, and raise important questions around taxation, worker protection, and economic fairness. The discussion examined how governments, employers, and ecosystems should adapt to borderless work whilst ensuring local talent remains competitive, protected, and included.

Moderator and Panellists

• Arifah Sharifuddin, Institute Director, Tech for Good Institute
• Nimas Mega Purnamasari, Executive Director, Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center
• Hazwan Razak, Chief Executive Officer, BioVerde Technologies (Moderator)

Key Takeaways

1. Policy foundations require clear distinctions and objectives

The panel emphasised that effective borderless work policies begin with understanding that remote work and digital nomadism are distinct phenomena with different implications for labour rights, taxation, and economic impact. Remote workers typically maintain stable employment arrangements whilst working offsite, whereas digital nomads operate more entrepreneurially across multiple borders and client relationships. This fundamental distinction shapes how policies must be crafted to reflect these different realities.

Equally important, policy objectives must be apparent from the outset. The discussion contrasted Malaysia’s DE Rantau programme, launched in 2022, with a minimum annual income requirement of USD $24,000 for tech professionals, with Thailand’s Destination Tourist Visa, focusing on boosting tourism through its five-year programme launched in July 2024. Understanding these distinctions whilst maintaining clear objectives enables targeted approaches rather than generic policies that may not serve any goal effectively.

2. Implementation through data-driven coordination

Building on clear policy foundations, panellists stressed that granular, localised data is essential for tracking housing costs, wages, and employment impacts to mitigate unintended consequences on local communities. This data-driven approach enables policymakers to monitor whether programmes inadvertently disadvantage local labour markets and implement targeted interventions accordingly. However, the discussion revealed that policy predictability often matters more than policy perfection when building sustainable ecosystems, particularly given that Malaysia faces an annual GDP loss of approximately 3% due to fraudulent activities, where sudden policy shifts create uncertainty that scammers exploit.

Simultaneously, regional coordination adds significant value through standardised frameworks that could complement ASEAN’s existing framework agreements on skilled labour mobility. Rather than engaging in zero-sum competition for mobile talent, coordinated approaches create positive ecosystem effects where knowledge flows freely across borders, strengthening the entire region. TFGI’s tech governance research shows that countries that upskilled existing regulators in technology consistently outperformed those that created parallel structures, suggesting that enhancing the regulatory capacity matters more than institutional proliferation.

3. Community transformation and systemic impact

The panel highlighted how communities drive transformational change, with initiatives such as Remote Work Malaysia demonstrating that borderless work can virtually reverse brain drain, while creating new opportunities and fostering broader community transformation. The discussion revealed a compelling insight: brain drain reversal doesn’t require people to return geographically, as economic opportunities can be brought back instead. This enables complete family reunification, where parents earn global wages while maintaining a local lifestyle and raising children at home, as exemplified by the Philippines’ remarkable success stories.

The multiplier effect becomes particularly powerful when individuals who learn remote work teach their extended networks, generating community-wide transformation rather than isolated success stories. This community-driven dynamic illustrates how remote work serves not only as an enabler of individual empowerment but also as a lever for economic resilience, labour market renewal, and inclusive growth across ASEAN. These transformations occur organically when supported by appropriate policy frameworks and infrastructure investments.

4. Infrastructure and trust systems for sustainable ecosystems

The discussion addressed critical infrastructure requirements for sustainable, borderless work ecosystems, emphasising that governments must invest beyond internet connectivity to include comprehensive verification systems, cross-border identity frameworks, and social protection schemes that accommodate professional mobility. TFGI’s research on Building Resilience Against Digitally-enabled Scams and Fraud reveals the massive economic impact when trust breaks down in digital systems, highlighting that trust infrastructure addresses genuine market failures where remote workers struggle to distinguish legitimate employers from fraudulent schemes.

The panel concluded that three critical investment areas emerge for sustainable borderless work: identity systems functioning seamlessly across ASEAN borders, social protection frameworks accommodating professional mobility, and trust infrastructure that helps remote workers navigate opportunities safely. These foundational elements create an infrastructure for sustainable, borderless work, rather than merely facilitating temporary mobility, ultimately positioning Southeast Asia to harness digital innovation for inclusive and sustainable regional growth.