South Korea – Number of temporary employees down 12.7%, jobless rate rises

The number of temporary employees in South Korea fell to 3.86 million in January 2020, down 12.7% when compared to the same period last year, according to data published by Statistics Korea.

The 12.7% decrease worsened when compared to December’s 7.5% decrease.

When compared to the previous month, the...

India – Employment rate up but still lower than Pre-covid levels (Business Today)

The unemployment rate in India declined to 6.5% in January 2021 from 9.1% in December 2020, while the employment rate surged to 37.9% as compared to 36.9% the month prior, reports Business Today, citing data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Employment in India, however, remained lower than...

Malaysia – Flexible work arrangements essential for work-life balance (Malay Mail)

Companies in Malaysia should institute flexible work arrangements in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance for their employees within the Covid-19 era, reports the Malay Mail citing a survey by United Overseas Bank (UOB). The survey found that more than eight in 10 employees polled expect that...

Japan – PA Co ltd full year revenue dives 29% while losses deepen

Japanese temporary staffing firm PA Co (4766: JP) reported revenue today for the full year ended 31 December 2020 of JPY 1.60 billion (USD 15.1 million), a fall of 29.3% compared to the same period last year.

India – Gaming industry sees hiring boom, Indeed finds

India’s gaming industry saw a spike in job postings and job searches, according to data from jobs site Indeed.

The data showed a 13% increase for gaming industry job postings and a 15% increase in searches in January 2021 when compared to the same period last year.

"Our data forecasts the growth...

Hong Kong – Unemployment rate worsens to 7.0% in January quarter

Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate soared from 3.4% during the three-month period from November 2019 to January 2020 to 7.0% in the period from November 2020 to January 2021, according to the latest labour force statistics published by the Census and Statistics Department.

The underemployment...

India – Graduating students will find less jobs in 2021 (Business Standard)

Graduating students in India would be less employable in 2021 than in 2020, reports the Business Standard, citing a study by Wheebox, conducted in partnership with Taggd, Confederation of Indian Industry, All India Council for Technical Education, Association of Indian Universities, and the United Nations...

Singapore – Budget 2021 includes Covid-19 ‘Resilience Package’ and further support for workers

Singapore’s government announced a number of measures as part of its Budget 2021 including a SGD 11 billion (USD 8.3 billion) Covid-19 Resilience Package. The Budget will also set aside SGD 24 billion (USD 18.0 billion) over the next three years to enable Singaporean firms and workers to emerge stronger...

Australia – Seasonally adjusted jobless rate rises slightly in January

Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by 1.1% to a rate of 6.4% in January 2021, compared to the 5.3% rate in January 2020, according to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Unemployed persons increased by 156,000 over the year to January 2021 to a total of 877,600....

World – ILO report to focus on impact of digital labour platforms on the world of work

The International Labour Organisation is set to launch a report focusing on two main types of digital labour platform: online web-based platforms and location-based platforms.

The ILO defines online web-based platforms as those where tasks are performed online and remotely by workers, and location-based...