Hong Kong – Seasonally adjusted jobless rate jumps to 6.4%, labour market to remain under pressure in near term

Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 6.4% in the August - October 2020 period from 3.1% during the same period last year. When compared to the July – September 2020 period, the unemployment rate remained steady, according to the latest labour force statistics by the Census...

India – Randstad India and NIIT launch the ‘Randstad Skilling Academy’

Randstad India announced that it entered into an exclusive partnership with NIIT Limited, an India-based skills and talent development company to launch the Randstad Skilling Academy.

The primary objective of the Academy is to provide agile and effective reskilling to the chosen candidates, equipping...

Philippines – Pandemic causes 50% drop in hiring, forces pay cuts (Manila Bulletin)

Hiring in the Philippines fell by more than 50% during the pandemic while the number of applicants competing increased five-fold amid pay cuts, reports the Manila Bulletin, citing data from online job portal Jobstreet Philippines. Philip Gioca, country manager of JobStreet.com Philippines, said pre-pandemic...

Japan – Job offers to new graduates fall sharply due to pandemic (Japan Times)

Companies in Japan have been cutting job offers to new graduates at the fastest pace in more than a decade, reports Japan Times, citing a government survey. This comes as the coronavirus pandemic has forced firms into thorough efforts to reduce costs. As of 1 October, 69.8% of university students who...

South Korea – Number of temporary employees falls 5.3%, unemployment rate on the rise

The number of temporary employees in South Korea fell to 4.62 million in October 2020, down 5.3% when compared to the same period last year, according to data published from Statistics Korea.

The 5.3% decrease was an improvement over September’s 6.2% annual decline.

When compared to the previous month,...

Australia – Cosmetics firm Lush admits to underpaying workers millions

The Australian operation of the multinational cosmetics company Lush has back-paid its employees approximately AUD 4.4 million (USD 3.2 million) and entered into an Enforceable Undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Lush Australasia Retail Pty Limited and Lush Australasia Manufacturing Pty Ltd self-reported...

Australia – Hybrid working boosts productivity, Hays finds

More than half, or 61%, of Australians say a hybrid working model, consisting of part-remote and part-office working, is the most productive, according to a poll of over 2,500 working professionals by Hays. The poll also found that 21% of professionals surveyed by Hays believe the central office model...

Philippines – Recruitment firms want faster Overseas Filipino Worker deployment (The Philippine Star)

To revive Philippines’ overseas employment, a group of recruitment agencies has pressed for the acceleration of the process in deploying Filipino workers overseas, reports The Philippine Star.  The Association for Professionalism in Overseas Employment said not only the coronavirus pandemic but...

Japan – Recruit Holdings Q2 revenue down 6.2%, all segments impacted by pandemic, but expects to recover

Japanese staffing giant Recruit Holdings (6098: JP) reported revenue today for the second quarter ended 30 September 2020. Revenue stood at JPY 569.1 billion (USD 5.43 billion), a decrease of 6.2% when compared to the previous year.

The global spread of Covid-19 had a broad impact on business performance,...

Japan – Hirayama Holdings Q1 revenue down and operating income at breakeven

Japan-based Hirayama Holdings (7781:JP), a company mainly engaged in outsourcing and technology staffing, reported revenue today for the first quarter ended 30 September 2020 of JPY 5.20 billion (USD 49.7 million), a fall of 10.4% compared to the previous year.