A growing phenomenon is that the Asian region is increasingly becoming the world’s economic centre of gravity with the rapid growth of China and India redefining trade patterns, altering the regional geopolitical order and forcing business and government to adopt new strategies. The pace of Asia’s regional integration is also likely to increase as nations undertake the economic reforms necessary to maintain or increase their regional competitiveness. As a consequence of rapid economic growth and the need to improve productivity and competitiveness, one of the most pressing challenges for business in Asia is to find and retain qualified talent, with companies, particularly in China and India, experiencing a tremendous shortage of qualified staff and key skills.


In this context, where it is possible, the IOE provides technical assistance to help strengthen the capacity of employers’ organizations to respond to enterprise needs in the area of productivity improvement and competitiveness. In addition, it  is also contributing to efforts by member federations to develop programmes on issues such as HIV/AIDS, which is a growing problem in the region, and SME Development.


The IOE also plays an active role in regional employers’ organizations, particularly in the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Employers (CAPE),  and regularly attends the Annual Meetings of  the Board of Directors and Chief Executives of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE).