Over the past three decades, we have witnessed significant social and economic growth in many Asian countries. Many of these high-growth countries such as Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia captured the imagination of one and all. And because of the ferocious development they displayed they were soon termed tiger economies.

And ever since, the world has been more than keen to decode the secret behind their success. When we look beneath their success, we will notice that tiger economies share similar characteristics of macroeconomic stability, sustained growth in productivity, significant investment in technology and continued investments in human resource development. All such efforts have been primarily aimed at making more nationals employable.

But beyond the similarities each country has followed its very own distinct development path, guided by specific national priorities and policies. The core area that tiger economies have worked to perfection is the EEE strategy bit; these economies have made conscious and diligent attempts to improve education, employability and employment in tandem. They have ensured that the government and private sector suitably entwine their methods and mechanisms to achieve social and economic progress. This way they have been able to match the demand for skilled workers with an appropriate supply from the workforce, continually.

This is one of the most crucial aspects for the success of an economy. And over the years, as the need for skills continued to grow, the tiger economies happily welcomed expatriates and nationals to join the workforce. The tigers have been a haven for expatriates; the wide range of job opportunities and the easy visa options made the region very attractive to expatriates from all over the world. HSBC Bank’s Expat Explorer Survey interviewed 7,004 expatriates between April and June 2013 about their host country’s financial attractiveness, cost of living, lifestyle and suitability for raising children.

The survey found that Asia is an immensely popular destination with the average expat remuneration package being 15 per cent higher than the global average of US$ 74,000 per annum, compared to US$ 64,000 elsewhere. To add to this, five out of the top 10 destinations for expat lifestyle (including ease of setting up and integration) are in Asia: Thailand, China, Singapore, India and Taiwan. Initially, this flow of talent to the Asian countries meant well for the economy at large. They brought in knowledge, experience and innovations from the West and helped the nationals imbibe necessary skills and expertise into jobs and businesses.

But as the numbers of expatriates continued to grow the governments began to focus on creating more opportunities in the workforce for nationals (and rightly so). To begin with, they have made it tougher for the expatriates to work and live in the region. In 2013, Singapore announced tighter rules for recruiting expats, for instance. Companies are now required to consider Singaporeans for skilled job vacancies before turning to candidates. Those with more than 25 employees must now advertise a vacancy for professional or managerial jobs paying less than S$12,000 ($9,600) a month on a new jobs bank administered by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency for at least 14 days.

Only after this period can the company apply for an employment pass to bring in a foreign national. Singapore has also raised qualifying salaries for employment pass holders to at least S$3,300 a month, up from the current S$3,000, starting January 2014. This move reduces the competition for entry-level jobs that typically require tertiary education. Up until now foreigners have accounted for about 40 per cent of the island’s 5.3 million population and have occupied many senior and mid-level positions as well as most of the low-paying jobs that locals shun.

These are exemplary moves and with them Singapore has altered the job market considerably for nationals. Simultaneously, the tigers have begun actively grooming nationals for prospective jobs. Education and training are crucial to increase employability. For this purpose, in the tigers and in other Asian economies several universities and industries have connected to offer work-based projects and internships to nationals (educated and skilled youths and prospective employees). These partnerships are mutually beneficial as universities can acquire valuable information to update their curricula, and students can gain practical work experience.

Also, learning on the job has tremendous significance as it helps entrants get a flavour of the real-world environment while learning tertiary skills required to be successful at their jobs. For the same purpose, employers are facilitating on-the-job trainings for specific skills or new applications and technologies. Seems like a comprehensive plan. India is another economy that demands mention when it comes to building skills for nationals and hiring them. Almost 50 per cent of the country’s population is below than 20 years of age, and it is time India turns this this into a significant competitive advantage.

So what do we do and how do we do it? To start with, as a country we need to ensure education for all, impart skills to individuals for employability, build close collaboration between the corporate sector and education industry to understand and fulfill employability needs, and finally bridge demand and supply gap. These are necessary moves if India has to move into a high, sustainable growth trajectory. But there is always a “What if…?” What if India fails to do so? The stakes are very high; India will soon lose out to other progressive economies such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brazil and many others.

So the time for such changes is right, and it is now. The Middle East is another coveted destination for expatriates. It has witnessed the inflow of expatriates perhaps like no other region in the world. It is a hub of oil and gas, construction/infrastructure, retail, banking and financial sector opportunities. Over the years, for filling up the various positions the region has been open to hiring expatriates. But now it is openly expressing its views on ‘nationalization’. The governments are looking at policy changes that will alter the dynamics of hiring to support the nationals.

They are becoming less dependent on expatriates, and are consciously creating more career opportunities for nationals. Local employees are being heavily pushed to the top of pyramid. This is a ‘constant change’ in the region now. In economies with limited job opportunities, entrepreneurship is a viable option for nationals who have recently graduated. They do not need to be out of the workforce if they have the skills and resources. For instance, the Indonesian government has introduced an entrepreneurship skills program that provides seed capital for recently graduated nationals to start their own businesses.

Similarly, the Malaysian government has initiated a combination of conventional discipline-related courses and entrepreneurship courses to include subjects such as small business management, competencies such as English language, team work and analytical skills to expose students to skills to help them start their own business and help create jobs for themselves and others. Hiring nationals is now a social and economic agenda. The Asian countries are a powerhouse of talent and there is huge scope for skills and professional growth. All we need to do is rework our methods and devise stronger systems to ensure that nationals are absorbed into the workforce in larger numbers, and soon.

The good thing is that we are already well on our way to achieving both. In the past till now, the tiger economies have already proven the possibilities of growing fast and sustainably. And now as they prepare to absorb more nationals into the workforce, we are perhaps gearing up for another dazzling show in the years to come. The dynamics of hiring and doing business in economies in Asia and in the Middle East are set to change for the better and the tigers and cubs are getting ready to roar, again.