On January 29–30, 2026, the International Labour Organization (ILO), with support from the European Union (EU), convened a regional forum in Bangkok titled “Demographic Shifts and the Future of Work”. The forum brought together representatives from India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Palau, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand to address the world’s fastest-ageing region. With labor force participation in Asia-Pacific projected to shrink from 61% in 2023 to 55% by 2050, coordinated action is required to prevent demographic change from becoming a source of inequality and informality.
Policy Pillars for Inclusion and Resilience
The forum identified critical areas where institutional systems must adapt to a shrinking labor supply:
Extending Working Lives: Developing measures to facilitate the continued participation of older workers in the labor market.
Youth Employment: Overcoming barriers to ensure quality job opportunities for young people as they enter a changing workforce.
Well-Managed Migration: Leveraging labor migration as a strategic tool to address urgent skills and labor shortages.
Social Protection: Strengthening systems to ensure they remain sustainable and inclusive under increasing demographic pressure.
Institutional Framework for the Future
This initiative is part of the four-year “Future of Work: APAC” project (2025–2029), which promotes mutual learning to maintain high labor standards amidst megatrends like climate transition and technological change. Participants noted that many countries in the region are ageing faster than their economic systems can adapt, making the exchange of regional best practices a vital necessity for social cohesion.
What is the “Future of Work: APAC” project? The “Future of Work: APAC” (2025–2029) is a four-year initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by the ILO. Its mandate is to promote mutual learning and higher labor standards across Asia and the Pacific. The project focuses on helping countries navigate the intersection of major global “megatrends”—specifically demographic shifts, technological change, the climate transition, and evolving trade patterns—to ensure they lead to decent work and sustainable growth rather than economic exclusion.
Policy Relevance
The forum highlights a strategic shift toward demographic-sensitive labor governance in the region.
Economic Transformation: How countries respond to these shifts will determine whether demographic change drives productivity or becomes a permanent source of institutional exclusion.
Regional Standardization: The project aims to harmonize labor standards across the region, ensuring that “well-managed migration” serves both the economic needs of destination countries and the rights of workers.
Interdisciplinary Coordination: The emphasis on closing knowledge gaps through research briefs suggests that labor ministries must work more closely with academic and social protection institutions to design evidence-based policies.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can regional governments incentivize private-sector industries to redesign workplaces for older workers to prevent the projected 6-percentage-point drop in labor force participation by 2050?
Follow the full news here: Rapid ageing reshapes jobs, growth and inclusion in Asia and the Pacific
