The global pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of young people in Asean in terms of their skills and entry to the future of work. In addition, their access to new types of skillsets required to perform a certain job function is limited due to lack of exposure to opportunities, financial barriers and insufficient time for upskilling and apprenticeships.
The trend is worrying since the future of the region is determined by the youth (aged 15 to 34), who constitute 34% or around 223 million of the total population in the 10 member countries of Asean.
Realising the importance of their role and under the Cambodian chairmanship, Asean declared 2022 as the Year of Asean Youth. Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the 2022 Chair of Asean, had pledged that it is his country's priority to "strengthen the development of human resources to respond to the needs on the ground for community building, promote the participation of women and youth in building and maintaining peace, and develop an inclusive social protection system".
