The present paper gives an assessment of the challenges faced by the workforce in Asia and the Pacific and how they can be overcome. For this assessment, the impact of global megatrends, such as climate change, digitalization and rapid ageing, is anticipated, and a multisectoral approach required to build the workforce to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific is laid out. This approach is based on measures to improve access to decent work and extend universal social protection and universal health coverage, and concrete recommendations are provided to guide policy implementation.