The CPSC Director General Dr. Naim Yaakub graced for a special interview by The Economist-- a widely acclaimed, London-based English weekly news and international affairs publication,on July 30, 2013. Dr. Naim afforded The Economist contributor Ms. Manisha Mirchandani, Contributing Analyst, Economist Intelligence Unit with his knowledge and expert view on current labor demands in the region during the 30-minute conversation via Skype.

Dr. Naim highlighted the various factors affecting industry labor demands in terms of economic directions of the different countries in the region “where some would be transitioning from efficient economies to innovation-led economies, while other developing countries like Korea and Singapore are already there, as well as the still existing traditional occupations in the lesser developed countries in the region”. In this context, he underscored CPSC’s unique role in the region in addressing skills gap through capacity building efforts which are based on needs analysis and as planned with the member countries themselves who formulated the CPSC Corporate plan in view of keeping its interventions more responsive and inclusive.

The information generated from the interview would serve as an expert input to the research project that analyses the skills market in South Asia, with a focus on labor market demands and public/private provision of skills. The research paper is being produced for the British Council and will be shared with regional policymakers and key education experts at an upcoming conference. The Contributing Analyst Ms. Mirchandani is part of the Economist Intelligence Unitwhich is the business and advisory arm of The Economist Group.

The Economist belongs to The Economist Group and is owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and its average weekly circulation was reported to be 1.5 million, about half of which were sold in the United States.The Economist has a global emphasis and scope and targets highly educated readers and claims an audience containing many influential executives and policy-makers.The publication has been widely acclaimed by experts, businesspeople, and world leaders alike.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_economist)


Dr. Naim Yaakub, CPSC DG during interview by The Economist via Skype.