Rapid globalization and liberalization, and the resulting need to enhance international competitiveness, have led to much greater emphasis on human resource development. Efforts aimed at improving education and training systems are directed towards making these systems respond more quickly to changing employment opportunities. But most women still work in insecure and low-paid jobs, and are not covered by legislation on wages and working conditions. They suffer discrimination in pay and training, and carry the double burden of work and family responsibilities. They are often found in vulnerable occupations and may be subjected to varieties of abuse.
Conditions are often less favourable than in full-time work.
The ILO's programmes in Asia aim to create more high-quality jobs for women, and capacity building on gender issues, centring on women's rights and equality of opportunity and treatment. Two of the ILO's core Conventions cover non-discrimination in employment, and equal pay for work of equal value. Child workers Some two-thirds of the world's working children live in Asia. About one child in five is estimated to be working, some of them in intolerable forms of child labour. Most new jobs fall into this category, and often are outside the influence of labour legislation.