ERIA is inviting proposals for an academic research project on the theme ‘Employment Transition in ASEAN and East Asia’. The goal of the project is to conduct rigorous empirical research to generate recommendations for ensuring a timely adjustment of the labour market to the rapidly changing structure of economic activity due to global megatrends, such as supply chain reorganisation, shifting trade patterns, technological proliferation, and the sustainability transition. Researchers interested in participating are requested to submit a proposal for a study related to this theme. 

The Detailed Terms of Reference (ToR)

Employment transition refers to the process of individuals moving from one stage or type of employment to another. This includes entering the workforce for the first time, changing jobs or careers (including adapting to new roles or industries), moving from unemployment to employment, transitioning from temporary to permanent work, shifting across the formal/informal divide, or retiring from the workforce. Proposals relevant to any aspect of employment transition are welcome. Potential research topics could include (but are not limited to):

1. Quantifying the costs and/or benefits associated with employment transition
2. Evaluating the impact of labour market policies that might influence employment transition
3. Examining employment transitions among youth, women, individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds, rural areas, etc.
4. Assessing employment transitions in response to demand shocks due to trade or technological changes

Proposals will be evaluated based on both policy relevance and academic rigor. Priority will be given to projects utilising microeconomic data from low- and middle-income countries participating in the East Asia Summit (Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam). Empirical studies from other countries or regions, or cross-country analyses using macroeconomic data, may be considered on a case-by-case basis if they have strong potential to generate policy lessons for the ASEAN and East Asia region.

Proposals focusing on evaluating specific policies designed to support worker transitions through labour market policies or examining issues related to transitions into strategically important economic sectors such as automotive or electronics are particularly encouraged. Due to the project’s timeline, the research team is expected to already have access to the dataset that will be used for the analysis. Proposals requiring additional survey data collection will not be considered. The selection process may also involve an online discussion with the ERIA project coordinator.

The proposal should be a maximum of 2,000 words and include the following sections:

1. Names and affiliations of all researchers on the study team
2. Motivation and related literature
3. Theoretical framework (a mathematical model is not required)
4. Empirical strategy
5. Data description
6. Expected policy recommendations

ERIA will provide selected proposals with a research honorarium of US$8,000 per study. The lead author of selected proposals will be contracted by ERIA as a consultant and will carry out the research activities over a period of twelve months, starting from 1 November 2024. The final deliverable will be a publication-quality research paper, intended to be published as a working paper in the ERIA Discussion Paper series, and will be due by 30 November 2025. At least one researcher from each selected proposal is expected to participate in two in-person workshops and ad-hoc online meetings at the request of the project coordinator.

Travel costs for attending ERIA-organised workshops will be covered separately by ERIA. Upon publication of the working paper, the author(s) will be free to submit their papers to journals of their choice. Please refer to the ToR for a detailed timeline of project activities.

The deadline for proposal submission is 30 September 2024.

Selected proposals will be notified by 30 October 2024.

Please submit your proposal, CVs of the research team (as a single PDF), and one recent relevant publication (journal article or published working paper).

Submit the Proposal

If you have any questions, please email to ERIA Project Coordinator: Dr Rashesh Shrestha ([email protected])