Protect the middle? Why Southeast Asia should care about a vulnerable class

AI Summary

Rising prices, higher borrowing costs and job insecurity are putting pressure on Southeast Asia’s middle class. Analysts say governments should expand targeted support for this group, which drives consumer spending but can fall outside social protection programs aimed at poorer households.

As households across Southeast Asia face rising prices, higher borrowing costs and insecure jobs, analysts say governments should do more to protect a middle class that drives consumer spending but can fall between the cracks of social protection systems designed primarily for poorer households. The issue has come into sharper focus in the Philippines, where the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) urged the government in September to provide targeted support for the middle class to protect...