Truman G. Packard

Truman G. Packard serves as Lead Economist in the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice at the World Bank, where he has established himself as a leading voice in labor economics and social protection policy since 1997. After earning his PhD in Economics from the University of Oxford, he has built an impressive career analyzing how social insurance systems impact household decisions regarding work, savings, and risk management. His work spans multiple regions and includes leading major initiatives such as the East Asia Pacific at Work report and the current "Protecting All: Risk Sharing for a Diverse and Diversifying World of Work" white paper. Throughout his career at the World Bank, he has contributed to numerous significant publications, including reports on European economic growth and informal labor integration, while providing analytical support to governments worldwide on improving social protection systems. His expertise encompasses pensions, unemployment insurance, disability benefits, and health coverage impacts on labor markets, with current work focusing on labor market issues in Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. He previously led the World Bank's Human Development program in the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste, and has been instrumental in delivering financial and knowledge-transfer services to governments across Europe and Central Asia, East Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, demonstrating his comprehensive understanding of global labor markets and social protection systems.