Employment Asian Experience

Tirthankar Roy Employment Challenges for the 90s by ILO-ARTEP, New Delhi; pp 147.
CREATION of employment has been a major goal of economic policy in the countries of Asia, one of the world's most populated regions. But like economic growth, experience with job-creation has been uneven, and so has been the composition and quality of the labour force. The volume under review contains four essays describing and explaining these differences, identifying new areas of concern, and suggesting agenda for policy. The papers, written by members of the ARTEP (Asian Regional Team for Employment Promotion), were first presented at a seminar in Delhi. The four papers address, in that order, how the speed and quality of economic growth matter in job- creation, why women's participation in the workforce changes, what are the potentials and nature of jobs in the urban informal sector; and how urban planning matters in employment growth. By and large, the papers do not present original research, but summarise existing research. But they are easily readable, contain essential comparative statistics without being overburdened with data, and can be a useful introductory text for anyone interested in employment and labour market issues in Asia.