Australia – Nearly half of employers say their business has already returned to growth: Hays

Almost half, or 41% of employers in Australia say their organisation has already returned to growth or rapid growth, according to a survey of employers by Hays.

Australian Capital Territory is leading the way with 67% of employers experiencing ‘growth’ or ‘rapid growth’. In Western Australia,...

Japan – Hito Communications full year revenue up 12%

Japanese human resources provider Hito Communications (4433: JP) reported revenue for the full year ending 31 August 2020 of JPY 71.49 billion (USD 677.5 million).

Japan – Media Five first-quarter revenue rises 6.5% but losses deepen

Media Five (3824: JP), a Japanese firm that provides engineers to the IT industry, reported revenue today for the first quarter ended 31 August 2020 of JPY 380 million (USD 3.6 million), up 6.5% compared to last year.

World – Competentia acquires Adcorp subsidiary Dare, expanding footprint in Asia Pacific region

Competentia, a recruiting and workforce management specialist, announced the acquisition of Dare, a professional recruitment and contract staffing agency and subsidiary of South Africa-based workforce management solutions group Adcorp Holdings Ltd.

The acquisition, which was first announced in September,...

Australia – MYOB acquires workforce management and HR platform Roubler

Australia-based business management platform MYOB announced that it will take a majority shareholding in workforce management platform Roubler, also based in Australia.

The majority shareholding will be 73%. No further financial details were announced.

MYOB said the investment will see it acquire and integrate...

India – Hiring activity down 23% in September, but signs point to recovery: Naukri

Hiring activity across India declined by 23% in September 2020 when compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak Index.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index for September 2020 stood at 1755, this was an improvement of 24% compared to August 2020.

On a year-on-year basis, Naukri noted...

Australia – Casual workers are facing food insecurity due to pandemic, report finds

Australia’s casual workforce is among the latest group to be facing food insecurity during the pandemic, according to a new report from Foodbank in Australia.

The report, based on a survey of charities, showed that despite government assistance such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker programmes, charities have...

Japan – Like Co first-quarter revenue rises 6.1%, profits on the rise

Japanese staffing firm Like Co Ltd (2462: JP) reported revenue for the first quarter ended 31 August 2020 of JPY 13.16 billion (USD 124.3 million), up 6.1% when compared to last year.

Malaysia – Microsoft launches initiative to upskill Malaysians for the gig economy

Microsoft Malaysia, in collaboration with the Biji-biji Initiative, announced a programme to help upskill Malaysians to thrive in the gig economy.

The Biji-biji Initiative is a Malaysia-based social enterprise that promotes sustainability.

The programme, “Digital Skills and Gig Economy Employability...

India – Companies in India can now convert permanent jobs into fixed-term contracts (Business Standard)

Private companies in India can now convert permanent jobs into fixed-term contracts, without offering severance pay or a fixed tenure under new labour laws, reports the Business Standard.  The new labour laws saw the government remove the provision prohibiting companies in India from converting...