New Zealand GDP rises 0.9% in June quarter, manufacturing activity returns to growth

New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.9 percent in the June 2023 quarter, following a flat March 2023 quarter, according to quarterly figures released by Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ).

Economic and environmental insights general manager Jason Attewell said, “Business services was the...

Formal job creation in India slows in July (Business Standard)

The latest payroll data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO, India’s social security organisation) indicates a slight dip in the creation of new formal jobs in July, signalling stagnation in the labour market. New monthly subscribers to the employees’ provident fund (EPF, India’s...

As many as 42% graduates in India under 25 remained jobless post-Covid (LiveMint)

As many as 42% of graduates under the age of 25 remained unemployed after the Covid-19 pandemic, while the pace of job creation decreased following the global economic slowdown, reports LiveMint, citing a report, ‘State of Working India 2023: Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes’ by Bengaluru-based...

Monstarlab Holdings acquires Japan-based recruitment firm ExecutiveSearch.AI

Japan-based Monstarlab Holdings Inc., a digital consultancy and IT services firm, announced the acquisition of ExecutiveSearch.AI (ESAI). ESAI is a specialist recruiting firm for the tech industry. That leverages an in-house developed direct recruitment system. This system reaches out to individuals...

Japan temporary workers' wages rise in August

The average hourly wage in August 2023 for temporary workers across three major Japanese metropolitan areas (Kanto, Tokai and Kansai) stood at JPY 1,574 (USD 10.64), up JPY 29 (USD 0.20) from the previous year and up JPY 4 (USD 0.027) from the last month, according to data from Dip Corp. (2379:TYO),...

Online recruitment in the Philippines sees marginal dip of 2% in June

The Philippines saw a 2% year-on-year dip in online recruitment activity in June 2023 compared to June 2022, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker. The index fell from 127 in June 2022 to 124 in June 2023.

Despite the drop in recruitment activity, sectors such as healthcare, retail, and...

Most employees across Asia have moderate to high risk of developing mental health issues, study finds

A majority of workers in Asia (82%) have a high (35%) to moderate (47%) mental health risk, which highlights a growing concern about workplace wellbeing in Asia, according to the inaugural Aon Telus Health Asia Mental Health Index report, which explores workplace mental health and the impact on productivity...

Australian airline Qantas found to have breached Fair Work Act by terminating workers and outsourcing roles

Last week, the High Court of Australia ruled that airline Qantas had illegally sacked nearly 2,000 former ground crew during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ruling upheld two prior judgements by the Australian Federal Court and Full Court of the Federal Court, which found the airline had taken unlawful adverse...

Hong Kong seasonally adjusted jobless rate falls to 2.8% in August quarter

Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate improved to 2.8% in the period from June to August 2023, from 4.1% during the same period a year ago, according to the latest labour force statistics published by the Census and Statistics Department.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from June...

Vietnam forecast to be short of 150,000 tech workers annually (Vietnam Economic Times)

Vietnam is forecast to lack between 150,000 to 200,000 tech/digital workers yearly, reports the Vietnam Economic Times, citing research from the latest Vietnam IT Market Report released by IT recruitment platform TopDev. By 2025, Vietnam may need close to 700,000 IT engineers compared to the current...