In July 2024 the ILO published the fourth and last working paper exploring the working conditions of local and regional government (LRG) workers worldwide. This issue focuses on selected countries in the South and South-East Asia subregion and is titled “Working conditions of subnational government workers in selected South and South-east Asian countries: Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines”. 

The study investigates subnational government (LRG in ILO jargon) employees’ conditions in Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is situated in the context of decentralized governance which transfers powers, responsibilities, and resources from central governments to subnational authorities for greater efficiency, accountability, and public service delivery. It also highlights the role of regional and local governments in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) localization.  The central research question is how decentralization and subsequent governance restructuring impact the quality, quantity, and inclusivity of SNG employment. 

It follows the third study of the same series published in May 2024, which looked at the European region and was titled “Europe: Institutional and labour relations regimes promoting decent working conditions for Local and Regional Government (LRG) Workers”; an earlier on Africa titled “Working conditions of subnational government workers in selected African countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, and South Africa)” (2023) and the first one covering Latin America ”Working conditions of subnational government workers: the cases of Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, El Salvador and Perú” (2022) in Spanish only. 

The ILO carried out this research at PSI’s request and PSI affiliates, staff and regions inputted the research.