The Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India is a bi-annual publication on regional economic growth, development and regional integration in Emerging Asia. It focuses on the economic conditions of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. It also addresses relevant economic issues in China and India to fully reflect economic developments in the region.

The Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India is a bi-annual publication on regional economic growth, development and regional integration in Emerging Asia. It focuses on the economic conditions of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. It also addresses relevant economic issues in China and India to fully reflect economic developments in the region. The update of the Outlook comprises three main parts, each highlighting a particular dimension of recent economic developments in the region. The first part presents the regional economic monitor, depicting the economic outlook and macroeconomic challenges in the region. The second and third parts consist of special thematic chapters addressing a major issue facing the region. This update focuses on smart cities, discussing in particular smart city strategies and urban environmental risks.

The Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India is a bi-annual publication on regional economic growth, development and regional integration in Emerging Asia. The update of the Outlook comprises three main parts, each highlighting a particular dimension of recent economic developments in the region.

The Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India is a regular publication on regional economic growth, development and regional integration in Emerging Asia. This November Update of the Outlook, following the Update 2020 released in July, presents a regional economic monitor, depicting the economic outlook and macroeconomic challenges in the region amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 edition of the Outlook addresses reallocation of resources to digitalisation in response to COVID-19, with special focuses on health, education and Industry 4.0. During the COVID-19 crisis, digitalisation has proved critical to ensuring the continuity of essential services.

Skills are the key to shaping a better future, enabling countries and people to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. Megatrends such as globalisation, technological progress, demographic change, migration, and climate change, and most recently COVID-19, are reshaping work and society, generating a growing demand for higher levels and new sets of skills.

Regulatory reforms have long been a focus for Southeast Asian nations, often as a way to improve the business climate and policy frameworks for trade and investment. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has spurred countries around the world to review and update their regulatory policies to respond to the current crisis and prepare for the next one.

Indonesia experienced its first recession in over two decades in 2020, although large-scale fiscal stimulus and monetary support limited its depth and impact. The approval of an ambitious package of structural reforms, covering labour laws, taxes and ease of doing business, testifies of the authorities’ commitment to attract high-quality investment that will enhance wealth and well-being.

Skills are central to the capacity of countries and people to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic will require countries to co-ordinate interventions to help recent graduates find jobs, reactivate the skills of displaced workers and use skills effectively in workplaces.

This book provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to human resource development (HRD) in Southeast Asia and offers a holistic framework for the phenomenon of Regional HRD in Southeast Asia. It argues that viewing HRD in ASEAN as a complex adaptive system is the most effective way to understand the expansive and multifarious processes and activities involved in Regional HRD. As a region, Southeast Asia continues to emerge as one of the most dynamic and compelling in the world with a need to develop its human resources to further its independence, economic prosperity, and sovereignty. By focusing on a regional perspective of HRD, this book establishes the missing link in the transition from the national HRD to the global HRD perspective. Offering a framework for understanding how HRD policy and practice function within a dynamic ecosystem, this book appeals to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike, particularly those interested in ASEAN.