CONCEPT NOTE

BREAKING BARRIERS, BUILDING FUTURES : ASEAN Regional Dialogue on

Young People’s Skills, Employability and Transition to Decent Work in ASEAN

17-18 October 2023

ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia

Background

Young people around the world and across South-East Asia are faced with uncertain futures1. Pre-existing
inequalities and youth employment challenges have been further exacerbated by the learning losses and
labour market disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 and other crises. Already in 2019, around one in
every four young persons aged 15–24 were not in employment, education or training (youth NEET) in the
Asia–Pacific region.2 Gender disparities persist and the NEET rates were higher for young women than
men across South-East Asia even before the COVID-19 crisis. In 2020, in Asia and the Pacific, young women
accounted for 69 per cent of all youth NEET. Several studies have also shown that, the older the youth,
the higher NEET rate. In addition, rural youth, especially young women, are most likely to be inactive.
Young workers who are engaged in economic activities in the Asia-Pacific region also continue to face
pressing and persistent labour market challenges, which are reflected in low wages, informal employment
and other decent work deficits. As young people transition in a rapidly evolving world of work, including
through digital and green transitions, they, and in particular the most marginalized and young women,
need flexible, market-oriented skills and effective labour market support systems to pave the way towards
decent work.

Skills demands and trends across ASEAN have been well documented, with both employers and young
people highlighting gaps in transferable and digital skills.3 Such skills gaps are concerning as trends show
an increasing value placed on transferable skills and the growing demand for digital proficiency in a vast
majority of jobs.4 In response to skills gaps, young people, especially young women and young people with
disabilities, may seek alternative skill-building opportunities, yet are faced with informational, financial
and other barriers to access them. Furthermore, the Study on Human Resource Development Readiness
in ASEAN completed in 20215 highlighted that access to education and trainings across ASEAN Member
States has improved. However, measures to instill future-oriented perspectives in peoples’ learning and

1 The World Bank estimates a loss of US$17 trillion in earnings globally over the lifetime of this generation of children and
young people if urgent action is not taken to address the learning crisis. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-
release/2021/12/06/learning-losses-from-covid-19-could-cost-this-generation-of-students-close-to-17-trillion-in-lifetime-
earnings
2 ILO 2022, “Youth not in employment, education or training in Asia Pacific: Trends and Policy Considerations”, available at:

https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_860568/lang--en/index.htm
3 See ASEAN Foundation 2022 “Mind the Gap: Mapping youth skills for the future in ASEAN”, and World Economic Forum’s

2019 “ASEAN Youth Survey: Technology, Skills and the Future of Work”.
4 See LinkedIn’s 2021 Southeast Asia Jobs on the Rise Report, available at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-

solutions/resources/talent-acquisition/jobs-on-the-rise-sea
5 https://asean.org/regional-study-report-on-human-resources-development-hrd-readiness-in-asean/
development could be strengthened. Inclusive acquisition of the full potential of digital technologies and
a broader range of 21st century skills could also be improved. Meanwhile, the transition to green
economies demands new skills and a nuanced and practical understanding of, and frameworks for,
inclusive green skills in ASEAN and how this translates to decent green jobs for young people. Core green
skills include the ability to gather and interpret climate data and identify and implement climate-friendly
technologies. With these new skills, young people will be empowered to participate in the growing green
economy and meaningfully in their communities.

Facilitating effective labour market transitions for young people and preparing them for the future of work
requires national strategies for youth employment and integrated labour market support services and
access to productive employment in South-East Asia. Globally, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated the use of
technology in public employment services and education systems, which presents various opportunities.
In addition to strengthening the capacities of public employment services, the digital transformation of
employment services and education systems can in turn enhance service effectiveness and improve
accessibility, thereby playing a key role in improving the labour market outcomes and pathways of young
people.6

There are wide and persistent gender gaps across ASEAN countries with girls and young women
consistently falling behind boys and young men in terms of skills and employment. Female youth NEET
rates are persistently high across the Asia-Pacific region. In South-East Asia, the average gender gap
between young women and men not in employment, education or training was 11.1 percentage points
over the 2010-2019 period.7 This is in stark contrast with data on school completion, where boys are falling
further behind. This is a critical issue across the region. Girls perform better than boys in school and yet,
this does not translate to entering the formal workforce. Girls and young women continue to bear the
brunt of unpaid household work and face challenges in entering certain employment sectors.

As technological solutions rapidly scale and shape today’s economies and societies, girls and women are
falling behind in the digital gender divide with large gaps in digital adoption, access, ability, and
opportunities to equally benefit from technology, compared to boys and men. According to ADB’s 2022
Digital Jobs survey, female enrolment in digital skill courses in Asia is reported at only about half of male
enrolment, and fewer than 30 per cent of female candidates submit digital credentials to employers.8
Further, gender gaps in STEM careers start early and are seen at all levels of education and employment,
with males dominating STEM industries. Globally, the percentage of female STEM graduates is below 15
per cent in over two-thirds of countries.9

Young people deserve a seat at the table to work hand in hand with educators, governments, employers’
and workers’ organizations, and private sector to re-engineer education systems and labour markets to

6 ILO (2022) Technology adoption in public employment services: Catching up with the future, available at
https://www.ilo.org/emppolicy/pubs/WCMS_840767/lang--en/index.htm
7 ILO 2022, “Youth not in employment, education or training in Asia Pacific: Trends and Policy Considerations”, available at:

https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_860568/lang--en/index.htm
8 ADB and LinkedIn 2022, “Digital Jobs and Digital Skills: A shifting landscape in Asia and the Pacific”, available at:

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/829711/digital-jobs-digital-skills.pdf.
9UNESCO, Global Education Monitoring Report. A new generation: 25 years of efforts for gender equality in education. New

York, 2020. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/global-education-monitoring-gem-report-2020

be youth-friendly, inclusive, resilient, equitable and adaptive to a rapidly changing world of work.10
Governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, companies and other stakeholders alike want to
see young people succeed in the world of work, as this brings immense economic and social dividends,
yet too often young people are kept out of the conversation and are unable to influence and engage in
meaningful dialogues on how to build a better path to productive employment and decent work for them,
and with them.

Innovations and partnerships to support young people’s employability and transition to decent work are
needed to ensure education systems are responsive to labour market needs and that young people, even
the most marginalized, can effectively navigate multiple labour market transitions. Public-private-youth
partnerships can expand second-chance skilling opportunities, and support youth-friendly, inclusive, and
future-oriented public employment and career development services. Such partnerships must be forged
between governments – across Ministries of Education, Ministries of Youth, Ministries of Labour, and
others; employers’ and workers’ organizations, local and global companies; and young people themselves
– in the region.

The ASEAN Regional Dialogue

The ASEAN Secretariat, ILO, and UNICEF in collaboration with UNDP, UNESCO, and UN Women are
organizing a 2-day Regional Dialogue with a specific focus on young people’s learning and skills,
employability and transition to decent work in ASEAN, including pathways for green and digital skills and
jobs, and bridging gender gaps.11

Happening in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 – 18 October 2023, the Regional Dialogue adopts an integrated
lifecycle approach to support adolescents and youth as they transition from education and training to
navigate the world of work. It will also highlight the importance of green and digital skills and jobs in both
education systems and labor markets, as well as key gender barriers faced by adolescent girls and young
women.

The Regional Dialogue focuses on four thematic areas:

1. Inclusive, future-ready education systems: Enhancing national education systems to integrate

digital and climate literacy, green skills, and transferable, 21st century skills to prepare all young
people for jobs today and tomorrow.
2. Skills development and employability: Promoting skills development and employability, with a
focus on adolescent girls and young women, within digital and green economies.
3. Youth employment and labour market transitions for a human-centred recovery: Supporting
young workers and youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) to access integrated
labour market support for their transition to productive employment and decent work, and to
bridge the gender gaps, including through digitalization.

10 The ILO’s 2022 Global Youth Employment Trends, for example, provides a detailed account of how young people, in particular
young women, were impacted the most by the pandemic and calls for greater engagement of young people throughout
recovery efforts and policy making.
11
Noting the 2022 ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the Application of Timor-Leste for ASEAN Membership, Timor-Leste will be
invited to participate in the regional dialogue.
 4. Entrepreneurship: Strengthening innovation ecosystems to promote youth-led
entrepreneurship.

Three focus areas will be streamlined across all thematic areas: gender equality, green and digital skills
and jobs. The meeting will convene policy-level Ministerial and senior government participants,
representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations, private sector leaders, UN and selected
development partners, youth and civil society representatives and young entrepreneurs, and other
stakeholders to:

1. Enable an intergenerational exchange of lessons, challenges, and good practices relevant to

adolescents’ and youth’s learning and skilling, employability, engagement, and transition to
decent work across ASEAN.
2. Promote a shared agenda on youth’s learning and skilling, employability, and transition to decent
work in ASEAN across governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, development
partners, private sector, youth, CSOs and UN which will inform meaningful progress on these
issues.
3. Enable meaningful contributions by adolescent boys and girls, and youth themselves to the shared
agenda for informing policies and shaping solutions to challenges being faced.

Event Outcomes

Proposed outcomes include:

1. Identification of next steps for advancing opportunities and salient points, which are supportive
to the implementation of objective of the ASEAN HRD Declaration and its Roadmap and the ASEAN
Declaration on Promoting Competitiveness, Resilience and Agility of Workers for the Future of
Work, by government entities in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including UN
organisations, employers’ and workers’ organizations, young people, private sector, and
development partners on young people’s skills, employability, and transition to decent work in
ASEAN to inform future collaboration at sub-regional and/or country-level. This may include
launching or expanding regional programming for adolescent and youth skills, employability, and
transition to decent work, as well as dedicated interventions targeting adolescent girls’ and young
women’s skills development and labour market transitions, through joint UN-ASEAN initiatives.

2. Consolidated views on the possible establishment of a regular cross-sector and multistakeholder

forum and/or other consultative platforms which will facilitate a greater inter-ministerial, social
partners, young people, and business coordination across the region with the aim to share
progress, exchange good practices and foster co-creation of solutions to address bottlenecks.

3. Recommendations on promoting young people’s skills, employability, and transitions to decent

work in ASEAN will be reflected in a joint statement document.
Event Date, Modality and Delegations
Following a hybrid delivery model12, The Regional Dialogue, scheduled for 17-18 October 2023, in Jakarta,
Indonesia aims to be a platform to bring together national delegations from ASEAN Member States and
other stakeholders. Proposed delegations are multi-stakeholder and will include government, employers’
and workers’ organizations, private sector, young people, and civil society organisations and other
stakeholders.

Member States will be represented by a national delegation led by a member of government or

administration at policy level (as appropriate) and include social partners with representatives of
employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as private sector, and young people.

Young Engagement in the ASEAN Regional Dialogue

“Nothing for them, without them”. Young people will play a significant role in the ASEAN Regional
Dialogue, as they will be actively represented and engaged throughout the entire event cycle, from
preparation to the review of documents and providing valuable feedback. Furthermore, young people will
participate in the event as speakers, delegates, rapporteurs, and/or reactors, ensuring that their voices
are heard, and their perspectives are included in the conversation. This involvement not only provides
young people with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge but also cultivates
intergenerational dialogue and ensures that the event is more inclusive and representative of the diverse
perspectives and experiences within the youthful ASEAN region.

12
The 2-day event is to be livestreamed with active participation from virtual delegates