Disability inclusion and the role of Public Employment Services (PES) knowledge sharing workshop

Background

Public Employment Services (PES) play a crucial role in tackling unemployment and supporting economic growth in South-East Asian countries, where matching the demand and supply sides of the labour market is vital for economic dynamism.

As more groups enter the labour market, the services provided by PES are evolving to meet changing needs. The importance of PES in fostering an inclusive labour market is particularly significant when working with vulnerable groups. Crises have shown that individuals with weaker attachments to the labour market or those who are inactive are disproportionately affected and have less resilience. Today, PES are pivotal in promoting the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market including people with disabilities, offering tailored services that respond to their unique requirements and characteristics. The economic cost of inactive populations is grave; however, including persons with disabilities in the labour market can mitigate these costs by reducing dependency on social benefits and family members as caregivers. Furthermore, diverse workplaces have been proven to enhance productivity and problem-solving capabilities.

Objectives

In this context, and with the purpose of promoting the exchange of knowledge and peer-to-peer learning among policymakers of countries in Southeast Asia, the ILO organizes this technical workshop for staff of national employment agencies, public employment services, and/or the departments of employment of the ministries of labour of countries in Southeast Asia. This workshop will be implemented by the ProSSCE-ASEAN project with the technical lead and support of the ILO’s Employment, Labour Markets, and Youth (EMPLAB) and Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) teams to meet the following objectives:

• To bring together a diverse group of practitioners from public employment services (PES) and active labour market policy (ALMP) implementers across South-East Asian countries, in order to foster a collaborative environment where practitioners can share their experiences, challenges, and successes in implementing inclusive employment services.
  
• To facilitate a platform for policymakers and practitioners to engage in meaningful dialogue about the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWD) in public employment services in order to encourage the sharing of innovative policies, effective strategies, and successful practices that have been implemented in various SA countries, enhancing the overall understanding and capability of participants.
  
• To highlight and exchange practical approaches and methodologies for developing and implementing services that are tailored to meet the needs of PWD as well as the skill and qualification demands of employers.