The comparative study and action research in Mongolia’s cashmere sector launched in partnership with KLES

MONGOLIA (ILO News) - In August 2025, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office for China and Mongolia, through its Youth Employment Promotion Project (YEPP), launched a study on the youth employment situation in Mongolia’s cashmere sector in partnership with the Korea Labour and Employment Service (KLES).

The YEPP aims to improve youth employment in Mongolia by addressing skills mismatch and promoting workplace innovation. The project seeks to boost productivity, equip young workers with relevant skills and ensure supportive working environments. To achieve this, the study is being conducted to identify gaps, needs and opportunities in upskilling and reskilling the workforce in the cashmere sector, with a particular focus on developing the skills of young people to access the sector.

In August, the ILO project team and KLES organized focus group discussions and interview with the selected enterprises from the SCORE programme, government agencies and other key stakeholders in the cashmere sector. Participants discussed the challenges young workers face, along with potential solutions and recommendations to improve their working conditions.

As part of the next phase of the study, the project will conduct a quantitative and qualitative from employees from SCORE-selected and non-selected enterprises in cashmere sector, job seekers and students enrolled in technical and vocational education and training institutions.

Drawing on the results of the focus group discussions, survey responses and know-hows of Korea, particularly innovative management approaches to strengthening workplace cooperation, the study findings will provide recommendations to improve workplace practices and promote decent and sustainable employment opportunities for youth in Mongolia’s cashmere industry.

The YEPP is being implemented in collaboration with the Korea Labour and Employment Service, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Association and Mongolian Industrial Trade Union Federation.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Javzandulam Myagmar, National Project Coordinator, [email protected]