Skills and employability in Asia and the Pacific

Hospitality skills training in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

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Skills development to enhance employability is an area of vital importance to countries in Asia and the Pacific. Many of the countries are finding it increasingly difficult to respond to the skills needs of their workforce in a time of increasing globalization, new technology and changing patterns of work. Many countries have severe shortages of skilled labour due to the out-migration of skilled workers, an ageing workforce or simply the lack of capacity to provide training. Training programmes are often out of date and do not meet the needs of industry. Training that is available is not always equally available to all sectors of the community. There are many challenges on the skills issues in the Asia Pacific region. Many of these include national skills development system, linkages between employers and training organizations, skills mismatch, training and job creation for young people, and access to skills development and employment of people with disabilities, etc.

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Key resources

  1. Skills and the Future of Work: Strategies for Inclusive Growth in Asia and the Pacific

    To realize inclusive growth, our efforts for skills development of the workforce must have an impact on creating better employment and stronger business.