Labor Markets in Asia

JESUS FELIPE is a Senior Economist with the Macroeconomics and Finance Research Division of the Economics and Research Department of the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines. He is also a Research Associate at the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), Australian National University, Australia; and at the Cambridge Centre for Economic and Public Policy, University of Cambridge, UK. He works on issues relating to long-run growth in Asia, and specializes in productivity measurement and technological progress. His research interests spread across areas such as growth (especially

• Introduction: Overview of the Chapters; J.Felipe & R.Hasan PART I: LABOR MARKET ISSUES Labor Market Outcomes in Asia; J.Felipe & R.Hasan Labor Markets in a Globalizing World; J.Felipe & R.Hasan The Employment Intensity of Growth: Trends and Macroeconomic Determinants; S.Kapsos PART II: COUNTRY SPECIFIC STUDIES Labor Markets in India: Issues and Perspectives; T.C.A.Anant, R.Hasan, P.Mohapatra, R.Nagaraj & S.K.Sasikumar Labor Markets in Indonesia: Key Challenges and Policy Issues; G.Sugiyarto, M.Oey-Gardiner & N.Triaswati Unemployment, Labor Laws and Economic Policies in the Philippines: A Stocktaking Review; J.Felipe & L.Lanzona Jr. The Labor Market in the People's Republic of China: Development and Policy Challenges in Economic Transition; R.Tao A Stocktaking Review of Vietnam's Labor Market; B.T.Nguyen, C.C.Loi & N.C.Thang PART III: POLICY ISSUES Policies to Achieve Full, Productive, and Decent Employment in Asia; J.Felipe & R.Hasan

'At least one-third of Asia's labour force is unemployed or underemployed. A lack of employment is a major cause of poverty. If the Millennium Development Goals are to be met in Asia, there needs to be massive employment generation. The challenge is how? Felipe and Hasan set out the issues in stark form with a masterly theoretical survey of the functioning of labour markets in Asia, plus five detailed case studies of India, Indonesia, Philippines, China and Vietnam, highlighting the policy implications. This is undoubtedly one of the most important books written on growth, employment and poverty in Asia since Myrdal's classic, Asian Drama'. - Tony Thirlwall, Professor of Applied Economics, University of Kent, UK 'Even in a region known for its economic dynamism, creating full, productive, and decent employment is the biggest challenge facing Asia today. That is the convincing message of this authoritative book. Full of sound research, the volume debunks the widely held view that labour market rigidities are a major obstacle to employment creation. Instead, improving the incomes of the hundreds of millions of poor who work and creating more good jobs rely on the coordination of macroeconomic and social policies. It would be a welcome achievement if this book serves to put the employment challenge central to the policy agendas in Asia.' - Duncan Campbell, Director, Policy Integration Department, International Labour Organization