World – Skills shortage holding back growth in sustainable development jobs: OECD

A skills shortage for green jobs across OECD (Organisation for Co-operation and Development) countries is holding back growth in sustainable development jobs and could jeopardise the race to reach net zero by 2050, according to an OECD report.

The report shows the share of workers in green-task jobs,...

Japan – Average hourly wage for temporary and part-time workers continue to post record highs

Despite slow wage growth in Japan, the average hourly wage for temporary and part time staff continue to set record highs in recent months, as the country recovers from the pandemic, acts on government demands for wage hikes, and relaxes immigration restrictions, according to research from Japanese staffing...

Singapore – Labour market sees improvement in 2022, overall unemployment rate falls to 2.1%

Singapore’s labour market improved in 2022 compared to 2021 with the unemployment rate reporting a decline, according to research from the Ministry of Manpower.

The overall unemployment rate fell from 2.7% in 2021 to 2.1% in 2022. The resident unemployment rate fell over the year from 3.5% to 2.9% while...

India – Tata Consultancy Services CEO to step down

India-based IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS). announced Rajesh Gopinathan will step down as managing director and CEO of the company.

Gopinathan was appointed to the role of CEO in 2017. He was reappointed last year as CEO until 2027. The company said Gopinathan decided to step down...

Australia – Seek job ads fall by 12.2% in February

Job ads in Australia have fallen by 12.2% year-over-year, according to job board operator Seek. On a monthly basis, job ads also fell by 1.6%.

The latest data also shows that applications per job ad decreased over the month for the first time in eight months by 1.8% in January.

On an annual basis, the...

Japan – Big firms agree to biggest wage hike in decades (Reuters)

Top companies in Japan have agreed to give their employees their largest wage hike in decades during their annual labour talks earlier this month, Reuters reported, following pressure from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to increase salaries amid rising inflation. Salaries of Japanese workers have remained...

Asia Pacific – Foreign workers in Malaysia expected to exceed 1 million in 2023 (Vietnam Plus)

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) believes that the number of foreign workers in Malaysia will easily exceed 1 million in 2023. Vietnam Plus reports FMM (Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers) President Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said the recruitment of foreign workers has improved from previous...

Hong Kong – Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate improves to 3.3% in February quarter

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Hong Kong stood at 3.3% in the period from December– February 2022, down from 4.5% during the same period a year ago, according to the latest labour force statistics published by the Census and Statistics Department.

Compared to the previous three-month period,...

Australia – Union report shows wage theft is 'endemic' at universities

Universities across Australia owe over AUD 100 million (USD 66.5 million) in stolen wages, the National Tertiary Education Union uncovered in a recent report, calling it an endemic part of universities' business models.

The NTEU had initially analysed 34 institutions from 2020 onward and found a collective...

South Korea – Government to reconsider plans of introducing 69-hour workweek following backlash (Bloomberg)

The South Korean government will reconsider plans to increase weekly working hours to 69 following backlash from women's rights and younger working age groups. Bloomberg reported the office of President Yook Suk Yeol instructed his agencies to communicate better with the public, ', especially with Generation...