Manila – Institute for Labor Studies Deputy Executive Director Patrick P. Patriwirawan, Jr. joined a host of panel discussants from the ASEAN region in a workshop titled, “Learning and Future of Work” last September 19 at the World Bank Knowledge and Research Hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr. Patriwirawan was in Session 1, which centered on the Future of Work and the Implications for Malaysia and East Asia, where World Bank Senior Economist Shwetlena Sabarwal presented the 2019 World Development Report (WDR) titled, “The Changing Nature of Work.”

The event focused on the key messages of the latest two World Development Reports which were presented. The WDR 2018 stressed the importance of learning in order for education to fulfill its potential, while the WDR 2019 analyzed how jobs and workers will likely change in coming years and decades. The connection between the two themes is evident: a crucial way to prepare for the jobs of the future is learning and acquiring the relevant skills looking forward.

Panels of experts from Malaysia, East Asia, and beyond discussed whether and how the main lessons from these WDRs are relevant for their countries and the challenges of implementation of the reports’ policy recommendations.

This international workshop “Learning and the Future of Work” is organized by the World Bank Knowledge and Research Hub in Malaysia, in collaboration with the Korea Development Institute (KDI) School.