Featured Proceedings

From Inequality to Inclusion: Gendered Perspectives on Labour, Informal Work, and Social Protection in Southeast Asia

Across Southeast Asia, millions of workers, particularly women and marginalized communities, remain concentrated in informal and precarious forms of labour, with limited access to social protection and economic security. According to regional labour estimates, informal employment remains significantly high across Asia and the Pacific. In 2016, informal employment accounted for 75.2 per cent of employment in South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific, compared to 50.7 per cent in Eastern Asia. Workers in sectors such as domestic work, care work, agriculture, and the gig economy often continue to face unstable wages, limited healthcare access, and weak labour protections. From domestic and care work to gig and migrant labour, gender continues to shape who bears the burden of inequality and exclusion. Join us this May for an online discussion exploring gendered perspectives on labour, informal work, and social protection in Southeast Asia.