Across Asia, the world of work is changing rapidly. Advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), the impacts of climate change, the transition to greener economies, and shifting demographic trends are transforming how people work, the skills they need, and the systems designed to protect them. While these changes create new opportunities, they also present significant challenges, often disproportionately affecting women, informal workers, and other vulnerable groups. Understanding these complex transitions – and identifying policies that can support more inclusive and equitable labour markets – requires research that is both locally grounded and regionally connected.
FutureWORKS Asia was established with this goal in mind. Led by LIRNEasia, the initiative is the Asia hub of the FutureWORKS Collective, a global programme supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Through two rounds of research grants, FutureWORKS Asia has supported 11 research institutions – including universities, think tanks, and civil society organisations – to undertake 12 research projects examining how major economic, technological, demographic, and climate transitions are reshaping the future of work across Asia.
From 9–12 June 2026, FutureWORKS Asia convened its annual Network Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together researchers from both cycles of funded projects for the first time. While Cycle 1 teams were nearing the completion of their research and beginning to translate their findings into policy recommendations, Cycle 2 teams were in the early stages of their research. Bringing these groups together created an opportunity to exchange experiences, strengthen ongoing research and foster new collaborations.
Strengthening research through peer learning
One of the primary objectives of the network meeting was to create space for researchers to learn from one another. This was shaped by an early ask from the grantees at the outset, where peer learning and collaborative problem-solving were identified as key needs. For the Cycle 2 grantees, the meeting provided an opportunity to test ideas and refine their research. Discussions focused on strengthening research questions, improving methodologies, identifying potential risks, and thinking through how research findings could ultimately influence policy. Participants received constructive feedback from fellow researchers working on similar topics in different countries.
The conversations covered a wide range of issues, including how to design effective interventions, engage with policymakers and other stakeholders, collect meaningful evidence, and ensure that research remains relevant to the communities and workers it seeks to benefit. While each project addressed different issues across 6 countries —from platform work and technology advancement to climate resilience, care economies, and social protection — many participants discovered common challenges and were able to learn from approaches being tested elsewhere in the region.
For the Cycle 1 grantees, the meeting served a different purpose. Rather than focusing solely on presenting their research, they worked on how to communicate their work more effectively to policy audiences. Through discussions and peer feedback, participants refined the policy narratives underpinning their projects, explored how their evidence could inform current policy debates, and engaged policymakers so that their research could have greater impact.
High-quality research and effective dissemination are two sides of the same coin. Throughout the meeting, discussions explored how evidence could be communicated strategically – identifying policy windows, tailoring messages for different audiences, and engaging governments and different stakeholders’ sectors throughout the research process to maximise policy impact.
Although the projects span diverse themes and countries, the issues are interconnected, and they grapple with many of the same policy questions. The meeting became a platform for identifying opportunities where researchers could work together. The participants explored possibilities for developing joint policy briefs, comparative regional analyses, collaborative publications, webinars, and other knowledge products that bring together evidence from multiple countries.
Taking research into regional policy conversations
A key highlight of the week was the knowledge-sharing session: Digital Transformation, AI, and Platform Work: Implications for Labour Markets and Social Protection, jointly organised by LIRNEasia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Regional Economic and Social Analysis Unit (RESA) for Asia and the Pacific.
The event brought together researchers from the FutureWORKS Asia network alongside representatives from international organisations, policymakers, academics, and development practitioners to discuss one of the most pressing questions facing the region: how are digital technologies transforming work, and what policies are needed to ensure these changes create more inclusive and equitable labour markets?
Researchers from the FutureWORKS Asia network presented emerging findings from their own studies, providing real-world evidence from countries across the region. Their presentations were complemented by insights from ILO specialists, creating a dialogue between research and policy that encouraged participants to consider both the broader regional picture and the realities faced by workers within individual countries.
Looking ahead
As the network grows, researchers will continue to come together to exchange ideas, share lessons across countries, and collaborate on themes of common interest. Alongside country-level dissemination, FutureWORKS Asia will continue to facilitate cross-country learning through future network meetings, thematic discussions, and joint knowledge-sharing activities. By strengthening these connections, the network aims to generate evidence that is not only locally relevant but also regionally informed, contributing to more inclusive and sustainable futures of work across Asia.
