ISLAMABAD: Due to rapid labour force growth, South Asia is expected to account for almost 90 per cent of the total employment growth in Asia and the Pacific, says a new report released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Tuesday.

The ‘World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2018’ notes that unemployment levels in Asia and the Pacific are expected to remain low relative to other regions, and constant over the forecast horizon at around 4.2pc.

This is largely due to the fact that employment growth in the region is expected to remain strong, with the number of employed persons projected to grow by some 23 million between 2017 and 2019, ILO’s flagship report says.

Moreover, a large proportion of the jobs created in the region are expected to remain of poor quality. The share of vulnerable employment in total employment is projected to remain roughly unchanged in the years to 2019. In particular, vulnerable employment will continue to affect roughly 72pc of workers in South Asia, 46pc in South-East Asia and the Pacific, and 31pc in East Asia.

Meanwhile, vulnerable employment continues to be more pervasive among women than men.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018