South Korea – Number of temporary employees down 7% in February as unemployment rate rises

The number of temporary employees in South Korea fell to 4.19 million in February 2021, down 7.0% when compared to the same period last year, according to data published by Statistics Korea.

The 7.0% decrease was an improvement over January’s 12.7% decrease.

When compared to the previous month, the number...

Australia – Majority of businesses still plan to extend salary increases this year

Most (70%) businesses in Australia, are planning to increase salaries for existing staff this year, according to research from Robert Half Australia.

Robert Half’s research found that for many companies, residual revenue loss from 2020 combined with lingering economic uncertainty is causing wages to...

India – IT companies may see higher turnover of employees as demand for tech talent grows (The Economic Times)

Indian IT firms are likely to face sharper turnover rates this year on growing demand for talent, reports The Economic Times, citing a report from India-based HR consulting and RPO firm Han Digital. The data from across 100 companies between January and March 2021, prepared by Han Digital, indicates...

Singapore – Up to 75% of workers can return to the office from April

More employees in Singapore will be allowed to return to the workplace from 5 April as the country shifts from working-from-home as a default to a more flexible and hybrid way of working, according to updated guidance from the Ministry of Health and Tripartite Partners (Ministry of Manpower, Singapore...

Asia Pacific – Employees face salary and work-life balance difficulties: Hays

As employers across the Asia Pacific region implemented cost-cutting solutions to counter pandemic-related revenue shortfalls, finances have become prominent in the minds of employees. However, according to Hays, employees are not confident that they will see salary packages augmented in 2021, with 28%...

Japan – Policymakers step up calls for higher minimum wage to boost economy (Reuters)

Japanese policymakers are stepping up calls to raise the country’s minimum wage as part of a strategy to ensure households can boost consumption and revitalise the economy when Covid-19 curbs are removed and vaccines are rolled out, reports Reuters. Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Wednesday it was...

India – Most businesses considering a flexible work model through video conferencing solutions (LiveMint)

A majority of Indian businesses, 87%, are considering a flexible work model through video conferencing solutions, reports LiveMint, citing survey data from Boston Consulting Group and video conferencing programme Zoom. The survey focused on industries which were able to pivot their business processes...

Singapore – Adaptive skills increasingly critical in helping businesses work remotely, survey finds

As Singapore’s job market evolves to adapt to the impact of Covid-19 on the workplace, more employers require workers to adaptive skills as well as digital skills that enable them to work remotely in new environments.

The NTUC (National Trades Union Congress) LearningHub's Employer Skills Survey report...

India – Indian Staffing Federation discusses Budget 2021 and its impact on gig economy workers

Staffing Industry Analysts’ reporter Danny Romero interviews Lohit Bhatia, President of the Indian Staffing Federation.

In the interview, Bhatia talks about the recent Budget 2021 announcement in which a measure was proposed to provide social security benefits for gig economy workers. Bhatia also speaks...

South Korea – Most Koreans are pessimistic about the jobs market this year (The Korea Herald)

More than half of South Koreans believe that the nation’s labour market will further deteriorate this year, compared with the conditions before the Covid-19 pandemic, reports The Korea Herald citing data from think tank the Korea Economic Research Institute. The data showed that 77% of Koreans believe...