Fourteen countries meet to discuss research findings

New research into the effects of the economic crisis on jobs in global production networks has been highlighted at an international meeting at Thammasat University Thailand.

The meeting brought together experts and researchers from 14 countries in Asia and the Pacific to discuss their research findings and the impact of the crisis.

The aim was to contribute to the policy debate on economic recovery and decent jobs in Asia and the Pacific. The International Seminar on Jobs in Global Production Networks - Crisis and Recovery was held at Thammasat's Tha Prachan campus on Tuesday, 13 October 2009.

It was attended by members of the Network of Institutes for Labour Studies from Australia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Guy Thijs, Deputy Regional Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, International Labour Organization (ILO) and Dr Patmawadee Suzuki, Dean, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University presided over the opening. Experts from the ILO and the Thailand Development Research Institute also took part.

A keynote address on the impact of financial crisis on Thailand and the government's response was given by Dr. Bhanupong Nidhiprabha, Associate Professor at Thammasat University's Faculty of Economics.

Other topics covered included the impact of the financial crisis on Thailand's car industry, and its effects on jobs in global production networks for textiles, garments, food, agri-business, information and telecommunications.

Other speakers highlighted the links between economic and social upgrading, and pro-poor growth and sustainable development in Nepal.

The seminar is the fifth in a series of joint investigative studies by the Network of Institutes for Labour Studies, a project executed by the ILO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific with funding from the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training.

The meeting was jointly organized by the ILO and Thammasat University's Faculty of Economics.