Malaysia – Ikea cuts ties with supplier after workers found to have paid recruitment fees (FMT Media)

Furniture retailer Ikea cut ties with a supplier of security guards to its Malaysia operations after an investigation found the supplier charged the Nepali security guards USD 1,000 to obtain the job, FMT Media reported. Ikea also noted that multiple layers of subagents were involved in the process in...

China – ManpowerGroup Greater China chairman stepping down; firm appointing new chairman and naming new board member

ManpowerGroup Greater China Ltd. (2180:HKG) reported chairman and nonexecutive director Darryl Green is resigning from his roles in order to devote more time to his other commitments. Green will step down after the end of the company’s annual meeting on 29 June.

In turn, the company announced Colin...

Australia – Job ads fall in March even as applications per ad increase

Job ad volumes in Australia fell by 0.6% in March compared to February — the second consecutive monthly decline — and were 15.7% lower compared to March 2022, Seek reported on Tuesday in its “Seek Employment Report – March 2023” for Australia.

Still, job ads were 25.1% higher in March than they...

Australia – Freelancer gross payment volume down 4.6% in Q1, but talent platform operations profitable

Gross payment volume on talent platform operator Freelancer Ltd. (FLN:ASX) fell 4.6% year over year in the first quarter to AUD 311.7 million (USD 208.8 million). However, gross payment volume was up 33.9% sequentially form the fourth quarter.

The year-over-year decline in gross payment volume occurred...

Japan – Government calls on companies to end practice of ‘owahara’ in recruiting (The Mainichi)

The Japanese government is calling on companies to end its practice of “owahara” when recruiting students, The Mainichi reported. Owahara is when company recruiter pressure university students who have been unofficially offered employment to end their job-seeking activities so that they join the...

Sri Lanka – Government signs memorandum of understanding with staffing firm Pasona Group (Daily News)

The Sri Lankan government signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan-based staffing firm Pasona Group Inc. (2168:TYO) regarding employment opportunities for Sri Lankan workers in Japan, the (Colombo, Sri Lanka) Daily News newspaper reported. Pasona will provide support for Japanese companies hiring...

Philippines – Employment rate edges up amid expansion in wholesale/retail trade and other sectors

The Philippines employment rate rose to 95.2% in February from 93.6% in February 2022 — which translates to 48.8 million employed people, according to the Philippines Department of Labor and employment.

Reasons behind the increase include an expansion in employment in the wholesale and retail trade...

Australia – Survey finds 40% of professionals believe the next five years will see four-day work week

Some 40% of Australian professionals believe the four-day work week will become a reality within the next five years, according to a survey of 41,965 professionals by global recruitment firm Hays plc. Another 21% think it will take at least a decade before a four-day work week becomes a reality.

Hays’...

Japan – Skilled foreign workers getting new visa option (The Japan Times)

Japan is launching a simplified visa system for highly skilled professionals from overseas, The Japan Times reported. The visa will include preferential treatment for those who meet certain conditions such as annual income of JPY 20 million (USD 151,000) and a master’s degree. It will allow those conducting...

South Korea – Young 'shut-ins' to receive $500 to go outside, return to work or go to school (Business Insider)

South Korea plans to pay $500 per month to shut-in young people to encourage them to go to work, return to school or restore their daily lives, Business Insider reported.

In South Korea, there is a trend known as ‘hikikomori’ which describes young adults, mostly men, in their teens, 20s and 30s who...