As societies grow older, their needs too evolve, with greater pressure on care systems being widely acknowledged as a critical issue. Broadly, care work involves supporting the physical, mental and development needs of people either directly or indirectly, while a care system refers to its overall organization (UN, 2024). Care is an integral component of the world of work. When care needs are sufficiently met, it can lead to better health and wellbeing outcomes and allow people to reach their full potential in productive work. Caring is in turn also a form of work in both paid and unpaid capacities, whether it is performed within or outside the home. 
As societies grow older, their needs too evolve, with greater pressure on care systems being widely acknowledged as a critical issue. Broadly, care work involves supporting the physical, mental and development needs of people either directly or indirectly, while a care system refers to its overall organization (UN, 2024). Care is an integral component of the world of work. When care needs are sufficiently met, it can lead to better health and wellbeing outcomes and allow people to reach their full potential in productive work. Caring is in turn also a form of work in both paid and unpaid capacities, whether it is performed within or outside the home. 
On 20th of August 2025, LIRNEasia, together with the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) and the Sri Lanka and Maldives office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) convened a policy roundtable discussion titled “Bridging Policy Pathways for an Inclusive Future of Work”. The roundtable brought together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors including policymakers, trade union and corporate representatives and practitioners, together with regional experts through the FutureWORKS Asia network, an initiative funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. Regional experts included Selim Raihan (PhD) of SANEM, Cheryll Soriano (PhD) of the De La Salle University (Philippines), Jayvy Gamboa of Manila Observatory (Philippines), Towfiqul Islam Khan of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (Bangladesh), Balwant Mehta (PhD) of the Institute for Human Development (India), and Reiner Lorenzo Tomayo of Women in Global Health (Philippines), and Gayani Hurulle of LIRNEasia. Opening remarks were delivered by Joni Simpson of the International Labor Organization (Sri Lanka and the Maldives), with sub-themes of the discussion moderated by Helani Galpaya of LIRNEasia, Gayathri Lokuge (PhD) of CEPA, and Sabina Dewan of the JustJobs Network. The objective of the discussion was to explore critical policy themes shaping the future of work in […]