World Bank Group And JA Asia Pacific Convene Youth Leaders And Employers To Address The Future Of Work At The East Asia And Pacific Youth Forum 2026
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Youth Employability Takes Center Stage in Bangkok
On 20-21 May 2026, the World Bank Group and JA Asia Pacific, along with Generation and Save the Children, brought together youth leaders, employers, educators, policymakers, and development partners in Bangkok for the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Youth Forum 2026.
The Forum provided an important platform to explore one of the region's most pressing challenges: preparing young people for meaningful employment in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Through panel discussions, interactive polling, and inspiring conversations with JA alumni and volunteers, participants examined the future of work, skills development, entrepreneurship, and the transition from education to employment.
The timing could not be more critical.
Over the next decade, an estimated 320 million young people across East Asia and the Pacific will reach working age, while the region is expected to generate just 110 million new jobs. At the same time, many available jobs remain informal, low productivity, and offer limited opportunities for career progression, particularly for youth and women.
While East Asia and the Pacific continues to be one of the world's fastest-growing regions, economic growth alone will not be sufficient to absorb the scale of young people entering the labor market. Closing the gap between education, skills, and employment opportunities requires coordinated action across sectors.
As a leading youth employability organization, JA Asia Pacific is helping bridge this divide through experiential learning programs that equip young people with entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy skills needed for the future workforce.
Bridging the Employability Gap: From Campus to Career
One of the Forum's featured sessions, "From Campus to Career with JA: Bridging the Employability Gap in Asia," explored how employers and educators can work together to better prepare youth for the realities of today's labor market.
Moderated by Kirk Kenny, the panel featured:
Nok Anulomsombut, CEO, Sea (Thailand)
Simon Matthews, Southeast Asia Regional Manager, ManpowerGroup
Dr. Vivek Kumar, President and CEO, JA Asia Pacific
The discussion highlighted a growing disconnect between educational outcomes and workplace expectations. While young people are spending more time in formal education, many employers continue to report shortages in critical workplace skills.
Panelists emphasized that technical expertise alone is no longer enough. Employers increasingly seek candidates who demonstrate:
Adaptability and resilience
Communication and collaboration skills
Digital and AI literacy
Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
A commitment to continuous learning
The conversation underscored the importance of giving young people early exposure to the workplace through mentorship, experiential learning, internships, and volunteer-led educational programs.
Through collaborations with businesses and volunteers across the region, JA creates opportunities for students to gain practical experience while connecting classroom learning with real-world career pathways.
Youth Voices Reveal Confidence Gaps and Career Readiness Challenges
A key highlight of the Forum was an interactive youth poll led by Roshaan Suren, Director of Development at JA Asia Pacific. Youth participants from across East Asia and the Pacific were asked a simple but powerful question: "Are you work ready?"
Participants rated their confidence in navigating the next three to five years of their career journey at an average of 6.3 out of 10, revealing both optimism and areas of uncertainty.
The poll identified several areas where young people felt least prepared:
Managing workplace expectations (54%)
Technology and AI readiness (46%)
Applying skills in real work environments (32%)
Communication skills (29%)
When asked what support would help them most, respondents highlighted:
Practical work experience (29%)
Professional networking opportunities (25%)
Career guidance (17%)
Internships (16%)
Mentorship (14%)
Participants also rated their overall preparedness for the future workplace at just 62%, with communication, networking, digital literacy, AI, and technology skills emerging as priorities for development.
The findings reinforced a clear message: young people understand the challenges ahead and are actively seeking more opportunities to connect education with employment.
For JA Asia Pacific, these insights further validate the need for stronger partnerships among employers, educators, governments, and civil society organizations to ensure youth have access to the experiences, networks, and skills needed to succeed.
The Power of Mentorship and Alumni Impact
The Forum also featured a fireside conversation between Pimrux P. Kongkriengkrai, a long-time volunteer with Junior Achievement Thailand, and Dr. Vivek Kumar, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific.
Their discussion focused on one of the most significant paradoxes facing the region today: East Asia and the Pacific is home to the most educated generation in history, yet nearly one in five young people remains outside employment, education, or training.
The challenge is not a lack of ambition or talent. Rather, it is the difficulty many young people face in successfully transitioning from education into meaningful employment.
Pimrux shared her own journey with Junior Achievement, beginning as a young volunteer while interning at the Stock Exchange of Thailand. More than 16 years later, she continues to support JA Thailand while serving as a manager within Thailand's capital markets sector.
Her story reflects a broader trend across the JA network. Many alumni return as volunteers, mentors, and advocates, creating a powerful cycle of support that helps future generations build confidence, skills, and professional networks.
Volunteer mentors remain at the heart of the JA model. By sharing their experiences and providing guidance, they help young people better understand workplace expectations while ensuring educational experiences stay aligned with evolving labor market demands.
A Call for Collective Action on Youth Employability
The East Asia and Pacific Youth Forum 2026 demonstrated that preparing young people for the future of work requires more than education alone. It requires collaboration between schools, employers, policymakers, development organizations, and communities.
Through its partnership with the World Bank Group and its network of corporate, education, and public-sector partners, JA Asia Pacific is helping drive conversations and solutions that support youth employability across the region.
As technology, demographics, and labor markets continue to evolve, one message emerged clearly from Bangkok: young people are ready to contribute, innovate, and lead. By investing in practical skills, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and career readiness, stakeholders across the region can help ensure that economic growth translates into meaningful opportunities for the next generation.
Media Coverage:
Thai News Agency (TNA)