LABOUR · Tackling informal employment in Asia: building post-COV19 solutions to precariousness through case-study based evidence on Bhutan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam

Tackling informal employment in Asia: building post-COV19 solutions to precariousness through case-study based evidence on Bhutan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam

LABOUR is a research and training programme designed to address the above-mentioned shortfalls of research and development approaches with particular attention to a region where this is particularly worrying concern. We have gathered a team of 16 participants that includes academic and non-academic partners working on labour insecurity with the goal of offering 1) A comprehensive training component allowing participants to gain a specialisation in a new field, sector and discipline(s); this will be used as a base to 2) Explore the nexus between potentially inadequate or ineffective state responses to the rise of job insecurity from a two-fold perspective. This will help addressing, both at the scientific and policy level, the challenges of precarious labour in the region, with particular attention to the post-pandemic crisis that hit Southeast Asia. According to the last WESO report, there are over 1.4bn workers in vulnerable jobs worldwide, with numbers sharply increased by the COVID-19 pandemic. Informal employment in Asia is estimated to account for 68.2% of the active population and several attempts have been made at both domestic and international levels to address these concerns. This includes efforts through the Sustainable Development Goals process, which includes a specific statistical indicator to measure informal employment (8.3.1), the formulation of SDG8 (decent work) and SDG9 (sustainable industrialization). Across regions, the extent to which SDGs are used to address youth issues and inform national policies varies significantly. Although most states have formally committed to SDGs, including those on insecure employment, developing regions often lack the capacity to systematically study informal employment and vulnerability in ways that facilitate the development to implement concrete viable solutions. Two main challenges are evident: EU approaches have rarely been adapted to other regions, and no systematic review of anti-precariousness policies has been attempted beyond the EU. LABOUR successfully trained specialists on the topic and region while also proposing mitigation measures for decision-makers and development organisations. LABOUR strengthened research capacity and interdisciplinary expertise on labour insecurity, fostering cooperation between academic and non-academic partners. Through integrated training, mobility, and knowledge exchange, participants developed methodological, disciplinary, and intersectoral skills, enhancing research and policy-engagement competences. LABOUR also developed transferable skills, supporting participants’ long-term careers and cross-sector engagement, and contributing to a new generation of specialists and sustainable international collaborations.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union