Shaping an Inclusive and Sustainable Future of Work in Asia
Call for Proposals now open
7 June, 2024 | There is a considerable amount of heterogeneity in the labour markets, institutions, and stages of development of the Asia Pacific region. The region is home to 60% of the world’s population, and over half of the world’s labour force.
Megratrends such as advancements in digital technology (particularly AI), climate change, the climate transition, as well as demographic shifts and globalization are reshaping job markets, disrupting traditional employment patterns, and exacerbating inequalities.
Technological changes, including automation, artificial intelligence, and the platformisation of work, are reshaping job markets by displacing some roles, creating others, and shifting skill demands, with disproportionate negative impacts on marginalized groups. Climate change further compounds these challenges, affecting labour markets across various sectors and necessitating transitions to low-carbon economies. Demographic trends, including aging populations and high levels of migration, add additional complexities to labour market dynamics, placing strains on social protection systems and exacerbating gender disparities in unpaid care burdens. As Asia navigates these transformative forces, understanding the multifaceted nature of the future of work is crucial for informing policies and strategies that promote sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience across the region.
These disruptions pose significant risks, particularly for low- and lower-middle-income countries, which may be ill-equipped to navigate the emerging challenges. Vulnerable groups within these labour markets such was women, low-skilled workers, informal workers, among others are especially at risk of bearing the brunt of these changes, widening existing disparities.
FutureWORKS Asia is a collaborative initiative aimed at building a research network that explores and addresses the multifaceted and ever-changing dimensions of work in Asia. Led by LIRNEasia, the FutureWORKS Asia research hub brings together researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to address the key challenges shaping the future of work in our region.
LIRNEasia, invites proposals for gender-responsive, policy-relevant applied research projects that contribute to a sustainable and inclusive future of work. This call is supported with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Successful grants will play a crucial role in informing policies, institutions, strategies, and interventions aimed at creating a sustainable and inclusive future of work in Asia.
Cycle 1 funding details
How to submit your proposal
Interested researchers and practitioners are invited to submit their proposals addressing one or more of the key themes outlined in the CFP. Proposals should demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues at hand, propose innovative methodologies, and outline potential policy implications. Full instructions on how to prepare your proposal are contained in the full CFP. The deadline for proposal submissions is 1800hrs IST, 19th July 2024.
Complete Call for Proposals: Call for proposals | Annex 1 | Annex 2
Important Update [11 July 2024]:
Eligibility Criteria –
We have received a number of questions on eligibility of various forms of private sector entities. Based on a number of questions received, we would like to further clarify the basic idea behind the eligibility criteria for organizations that wish to apply. Successful applicants need to demonstrate two key criteria:
- The project will result in public interest research (which aligns with the overall FutureWORKS Asia objectives of a sustainable and inclusive future of work), which is made available freely in the public domain as per IDRC open access guidelines – https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/open-access-policy-idrc-funded-project-outputs
- The organization has a firm and demonstrated commitment to making policy impact through the project. This should be demonstrated through the planned activities of the project, as well as through past activities/successful policy influence.
Submission Instructions –
Please note that the instructions in Section 7 of the uploaded Call for Proposals (CFP) document, which state “All proposals must be in English and submitted via an online application,” should be disregarded.
Instead, all proposals must be in English and submitted via email according to the instructions provided in Section 10.
We apologise for any confusion and appreciate your understanding.
Information Session
An Information session was held on the 1st of July for interested parties to clarify any questions regarding the Call for Proposals for the FutureWORKS Asia project, ahead of the submission deadline on July 19th.
The following document contains the questions asked and answers given during the Q&A segment of the Session for the FutureWORKS Asia Call for Proposals: Question and answer session document
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