East Asian Labor Markets and the Economic Crisis: Impacts, Responses, and Lessons

The East Asian crisis has had serious consequences for workers throughout the region. Unemployment has risen, earnings have fallen, and working conditions have been endangered. The resulting poverty, declines in living standards, and social tension have threatened the gains achieved during the preceding 2 decades of growth. They have also raised difficult questions about the development track in East and SE Asia and the social protection it has afforded. Over 2 years after the crisis started, th…