Understanding the implications of the future of work, including the process of digitization, artificial intelligence, and the gig economy (the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs) is essential to ensure equity and gender equality in the labour market. This includes impacts on job availability and quality, labour relations, gender and social norms, as well as the way those changes come about.


In Southeast Asia, more than half of working-age women are in the workforce (on average 59%), but are over-represented in low-quality, informal, precarious, and unsafe employment, such as the bottom of the garment supply chain or domestic work.

The implications of the future of work are unknown. Projections on job losses and gains are just that - projections. The nature of the shift in employer-employee relations and relations with the state remain to be seen. It is clear, however, that innovative and equalizing steps need to be taken to ensure women and other marginalized groups, including those whose identities encompass more than one vulnerable group, are not left behind. The goals are to ensure that workers have access to training for tech jobs and other specialized and skilled roles; workers continue to access social protection, even in the absence of formal working contracts; social protection systems continue to expand towards universal coverage; and worker representatives adapt to the new nature of the labour force to continue providing support to workers.

IDRC is bringing together a number of institutions and researchers from Southeast Asia who have experience in themes relevant to gender and the future of work. The objective is to discuss existing evidence as well as to define policy priorities and a research agenda to respond to the current and future needs of working women. Preliminary topics include access to skills training for new job requirements; the care economy of the future; the quality of jobs and the persistent wage gap; and the ways that norms and perceptions keep women relegated to low-growth sectors.