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This paper, 'ASEAN in transformation: automotive and auto parts: shifting gears', examines how technology is transforming the automotive and auto parts sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN's automotive and auto parts sector is being significantly impacted by technology trends from electric vehicles to advances in material science, the most significant of which is robotic automation. Driven by an impetus to improve quality and consistency in production, ASEAN enterprises are swiftly moving towards greater adoption of technology. Technology is also creating a safer and cleaner working environment. However, as a result of greater technology adoption, the skills needs within the sector are changing, requiring more technical skills of greater variety and depth. To stimulate further growth in this important sector, the skills pipeline needs to be strengthened and the capacity of local automakers developed. The findings of this paper are based on over 90 interviews, five site visits to automotive manufacturing facilities in Asia, and in-depth enterprise case studies in the automotive and auto parts sector conducted in mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States. Secondary research was also conducted to ground the research more broadly in the ASEAN context.

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This paper, 'ASEAN in transformation: electrical and electronics: on and off the grid', examines how technology is transforming the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The E&E sector is one of the region's most prominent sectors and a mainstay of economic growth, especially as the region moves up the value ladder in manufacturing and shifts away from low-cost production. ASEAN's diverse E&E activities, from high-tech design research and innovation to low-skilled assembling and packaging, make the region an attractive destination for manufacturing. The E&E industry is poised for growth due to technology trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT) but also likely to be significantly impacted by other disruptors such as additive manufacturing. ASEAN's E&E sector represents a key opportunity for the region as it becomes increasingly connected both directly and indirectly to every economic industry. However, as technology adoption increases and the skills needs of the sector shift, it becomes imperative to improve the skills pipeline to ensure that the industry in ASEAN can take advantage of the potential for growth. The findings from this paper are based on an in-depth sector study with more than 70 interviews and detailed case studies conducted across ASEAN mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, supplemented by a separate study that examines technology trends and the relationship between China and ASEAN for the E&E sector.

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New and advanced developments in technology are transpiring at an increasingly rapid rate. This study explores the technological impacts felt by employers and workers of the 10 countries that form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN is a politically and economically diverse region, boasting a population of over 632 million people, a swelling middle class, growing amounts of disposable income and an increasingly educated workforce. Technology presents tremendous potential and challenge for the ASEAN region.

The paper presents a detailed analysis of how technology is transforming five key labour-intensive and economically prominent sectors in ASEAN: the automotive and auto parts; electrical and electronics; textiles, clothing and footwear; business process outsourcing; and retail sectors. It also highlights findings from extensive enterprise and student surveys as well as stakeholder interviews conducted in ASEAN and beyond. It is clear that technologies - both current and forthcoming - will increase productivity, render some occupations obsolete and create new ones. The real question lies in whether ASEAN can take advantage of the benefits technology offers and if it can also adequately prepare its workforce.

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