Regional Research Brief
Lifelong learning and skills for the future: Insights for Asia and the Pacific
This regional brief examines how lifelong learning can help Asia and the Pacific respond to rapid labour market transformations. It highlights low participation in training, persistent access gaps, and the need for inclusive, flexible and demand-driven skills systems.
Key points
- Make lifelong learning a strategic priority: With only 12.6 per cent of the working-age population in Asia and the Pacific engaged in structured learning activities, efforts are needed to make lifelong learning a strategic national priority. This will require comprehensive coordination across ministries, education and training institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations. Policy coherence between lifelong learning and other national policies is likewise critical for achieving positive skills and employment outcomes.
- Reduce financial barriers to learning: Governments should expand different grants to address financial constraints that limit access and participation, especially among vulnerable groups. Cost-sharing mechanisms including co-financing with employers, tax incentives, and training levies should be explored to ensure sustainability. Performance-based contracts and targeted public training funds for training providers can also yield good results.
- Improve accessibility and flexibility of learning: Vulnerable segments of the population, notably women, older workers and informal economy workers, face acute barriers to accessing learning. Innovative and flexible delivery formats including modular, digital, and blended learning and micro credentials should be scaled up to accommodate diverse work and care responsibilities (while being mindful of the importance of addressing the digital divide).
- Strengthen private sector engagement to meet skills in demand: Governments should establish mechanisms that bring together employers’ and workers’ organisations and training providers through structured social dialogue to ensure training reflects labour market realities. Sector skills bodies are effective platforms for industry engagement. Particular attention is needed for how best to equip workers with in-demand skills. This requires developing technical skills (including digital skills and those related to artificial intelligence (AI) and green tasks) but also foundational socio-emotional and cognitive skills.
- Enhance skills-content of labour market information systems: Countries should develop methodologies to capture granular and real-time labour market insights on skills in demand at sectoral and occupational levels. Such data needs to inform policy formulation, skills planning and training design and delivery and be made publicly available. The adoption of standardised skills taxonomies would support cross-country comparability and enhance regional cooperation.
- Promote work-based learning, including quality apprenticeships: Countries should facilitate learning in the workplace for workers to meet changing jobs and skills requirements, ensure effective transitions, support workforce transformation and boost enterprise competitiveness.
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Lifelong learning and skills for the future
Lifelong learning and skills for the future
World of Work Series report 2026
Additional details
Author(s)
- Steven Tobin