20/09/2016

Decent Work and Just Transition for All

Skills for Inclusive Growth
Akiko Sakamoto
Skills Development & Employability Specialist, ILO

Decent work, SDGs and Skills

Decent work as ILOs guiding principle
SDG 8 promotes full and productive
employment and decent work for all, but
decent work run through other SDGs too
Skills development links with SDG4 but it is a
key element for promoting decent work

20/09/2016

Current trends and issues

Strong in the past, but a notable slowdown in economic
growth in the years to come
Average annual GDP per capita growth rate (%), 1990-2021
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0

1990-2021

1999-2007

CHN

MDV

KHM

IND

VNM

BTN

LAO

SGP

MNG

IRN

THA

BGD

IDN

LKA

PHL

MYS

PAK

FJI

NPL

VUT

KIR

TON

PNG

SLB

BRN

0.0

2010-2021

Current trends and issues

...job creation struggles to keep pace with the growth of
labour force, in particular for women.
Male: Average annual employment
growth (%)
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
-6.0
-7.0
-8.0

Female: Average annual employment

growth (%)
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
-6.0
-7.0
-8.0

1991-2020

1991-2020

pp change in growth rates (2010-20 vs 1999-2007)

pp change in growth rates (2010-20 vs 1999-2007)

20/09/2016

Current trends and issues

continuing high youth unemployment rates.
New Zealand
Hong Kong, China
Taiwan, China
Sri Lanka
Viet Nam
Philippines
Youth rate

Japan

Adult rate
Singapore
Indonesia
Macau, China
Thailand
Korea
Australia
0

10

15

20

25

Current trends and issues

while improving the quality of employment still remains a
big challenge
% of non-wage and vulnerable employment in total employment
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00

Male - % of non-wage/salaried employment

Female - % of non-wage/salaried employment

Male - % of vulnerable employment

Female - % of vulnerable employment

20/09/2016

Current trends and issues

Key Drivers of Change and Emerging Skills Needs:
Demographic transitions:
Aging economies and young economies
Increased demands for heath care and care occupations
Need to equip young job seekers with relevant
competencies
Technological changes :
Some jobs become obsolete and displaced, while new
jobs are created
Likely to negatively impact on low-skilled occupations
Increased demands for middle-higher skills, STEM and
core work skills including ability to learn

Current trends and issues

Occupational-skill structure of employment shifting, toward
higher skills
Percentage point changes in
medium-skill vs high-skill
employment (2000s - latest)

Percentage point changes in

medium-skill vs elementary
employment (2000s - latest)

30

-60

50
40
30
20
10

-60

0
-40

-20

-10

pp chnages in share of high-skill

employment

pp changes in share of elementary

employment

60

20

-20
-30
-40
-50
pp changes in share of medium-skill
employment

40

20

10

0
-40

-20

20

40

-10

-20

-30
pp changes in share of medium-skill
employment

20/09/2016

Key skills challenges

Youth: preparing young jobseekers with a solid
basic education and relevant competencies
Vulnerable workers/informal economy:
ensuring better access to skills training
Low skilled workers: skills upgrading and
diversification integrated with core work skills
Women: improved access, promoting STEM,
skills for non-traditional jobs

Key Policy Issues

(skills for inclusive growth)
Further strengthening of basic education and
secondary education
Improving access and quality
Skills for the vulnerable groups to ensure their
inclusion in the broader strategies (e.g. sector
and local economic growth)
Prioritization of skills for inclusive growth in
the overall skills agenda

20/09/2016

Skills for facilitating transition from

informal to formal employment
- Improve employability of IE workers to obtain
formal employment
- Facilitate start-up of micro enterprises/incomegenerating activities
- Contribute to higher productivity and expansion of
MSEs, facilitating the link with formal sector
- Contribute to strengthening the quality and
productivity of value-chains and sectors

Issues and Challenges

- Challenges the way the formal training system is
organized and managed.
- Requires bringing non-traditional training partners
(NGOs, private sector) together, and generating
serious inter-ministerial coordination
- Need to translate skills into increased productivity,
business expansion, thus facilitating the transition
- Need to upscale successful yet isolated experiences

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Multiple actions needed at policy, system and program

levels

Skills for domestic workers/

household assistants (Delhi, India)
GOIs initiatives to provide
short-term training
courses based on the
nationally agreed
competency standards
(MES)
Outcome (competency)based assessment
Trainees skills are
assessed and officially
certified
Enabling policy

20/09/2016

Formalizing informal
apprenticeships (Bangladesh)
Gave structure to informal
learning through the use of
the Skills Log-books anchored
by national competency
standards
1000 apprentices acquired a
NTVQF Pre-Voc2 after 6
months
500 master crafts persons
received additional training
collaboration with the govt,
industry, NGO and
international organisations

Continuing challenge
(skills for I/E)
Skills development in facilitating transition to formal
employment requires working at multiple levels and
with non-traditional partners.
The initiative requires significant change to the way
formal training system is organized.
More active role of non-formal training providers and
the private sector is needed.
Skills alone are not sufficient, they needs to be an
integral part of the broader effort to translate skills
into increased productivity and formal employment.
We need to share and turn successful yet isolated
initiatives into large-scale change

20/09/2016

Thank you
Akiko Sakamoto
International Labour Organization
Bangkok, Thailand
sakamoto@ilo.org