India – Banking, financial services and insurance sector sees highest demand for talent in December

India’s formal sector noted an improved hiring sentiment in December 2020, as the high-volume sectors, including BFSI (Banking, financial services and insurance), IT/telecom and retail, posted high growth in talent demand compared to the prior month. This is according to the latest TimesJobs RecruiteX...

Malaysia – Unemployment rate jumps in November amid pandemic restrictions

The jobless rate in Malaysia stood at 4.8% in November 2020, an increase of 1.6% when compared to the same period last year, according to data from Statistics Malaysia. When compared to October 2020, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1%.

The number of unemployed persons totalled 764,400 persons in...

India – Remote working expected to boost gig economy and hybrid workforce in 2021

The success of work-from-home in 2020 in India following the country’s lockdown will boost the gig economy and hybrid workforce this year, according to a study from job site SCIKEY.

“In 2020, job losses across the experience level and the influx of fresh entrants (graduates) in the job market boosted...

Asia Pacific – Government approves India-Japan pact to institutionalise mobility of skilled workers (The Hindu)

India’s government has approved the signing of an agreement to institutionalise a mechanism for cooperation between India and Japan in sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the skill and Japanese language test, reports The Hindu.  The memorandum of cooperation on a basic...

India – Fewer full time job offers in December, but short-term and temp jobs expected to grow (Financial Express)

Full-time jobs in India registered a 33% month-on-month decline in December, reports the Financial Express, citing data from Xpheno, a Bengaluru-based specialist staffing firm. This is the first time in three months that the active job count has dropped below the 200,000 mark (falling to 162,000 according...

Australia – Casual jobs surge to record levels due to pandemic, but think tank warns of exacerbated inequality and insecurity

Since May 2020, over 400,000 casual jobs have been created, accounting for over 60% of all new waged positions since the recovery started, according to a report from think tank The Australia Institute.

The Institute added that these 400,000 casual jobs (2,200 per day, on average) accounted for over 60%...

India – Online recruitment declines by 15% in November: Monster Employment Index

Online recruitment in India recorded a year-on-year decline of 15% in November 2020, according to data from the Monster Employment Index.

Month-on-month, the Index was flat at 0% growth.

Online hiring demand in November 2020 exceeded the November 2019 level in only one of the 27 Industries monitored by...

India – Most organisations to stick to remote and hybrid working in 2021

Nearly half, or 42%, of HR managers in India said that their organisations will continue with remote working due to the pandemic while nearly 40% stated that they will follow a hybrid structure of working from home and office on alternate days, according to a new TimesJobs survey.

The survey showed...

China – More overseas students turn into domestic job-seekers despite low pay (Yicai Global)

Chinese students abroad are increasingly looking to come home for work, partly due to China's tight pandemic control, but the domestic salaries don't match their expectations, reports Yicai Global citing data from job board Zhaopin. The number of overseas students applying for domestic jobs rose by 34%...

Australia – Uber Eats settles case with driver who alleged unfair dismissal over late delivery

Uber in Australia has reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with a food delivery driver, after Federal Court judges questioned the company's argument that drivers are not employees, according to ABC News.

Adelaide-based former Uber Eats driver Amita Gupta and her husband Santosh completed more...