Skill flows and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: future questions and directions for the ASEAN Economic Community

Abstract

This chapter seeks to add to ongoing debates on how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) will affect ASEAN in the context of skill flows and labor mobility. First, it reviews some of the literature on the impact of 4IR on skilled employment; then, it focuses on its implications for skill flows—both digital and physical—within the region. Next, the chapter considers how 4IR technologies can support and further our understanding of physical skilled labor mobility. Although the role of skill mobility in this new economy will likely vary by occupation, we believe that it remains of strategic importance to support growth and inclusiveness in the region. Furthermore, skilled workers increasingly “have mentalities and connections that are much more global in nature than those of their predecessors,” which means that if ASEAN fails to create an environment conducive to skill flows, skilled workers will simply go elsewhere.