Australia – New workplace sexual harassment laws come into force

Australia’s Fair Work Act has been amended to prohibit or ban sexual harassment in connection with work, including in the workplace.

The changes took effect from 6 March 2023 and expand the previous protections around sexual harassment in the workplace.

The protection applies to workers including employees,...

Australia – Retailers David Jones, Politix to backpay 7,000 employees after underpayment

Australian retailers David Jones and men’s fashion company Cicero Clothing, trading as Politix, have been ordered to pay back AUD 1.9 million (1.28 million USD) and AUD 2.1 million (1.41 million USD), respectively to 7,000 underpaid employees, Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman announced.

In addition...

World – Employment-related gender gaps greater than previously thought, ILO finds

Gender imbalances in access to employment and working conditions are greater than previously thought, according to the International Labour Organization.

The ILO added that progress in reducing the gender imbalances has been ‘disappointingly slow’ in the last two decades.

The study found that 15% of...

India – White-collar jobs for women up 35% in February (Business Standard)

The number of available jobs for women increased by 35% year-on-year in February 2023, indicating a growing demand for female workers in the Indian white-collar economy, reports the Business Standard, citing data from Foundit (formerly Monster APAC & Middle East). The data showed that the Information...

Asia Pacific – A third of workers actively looking for a new job

Despite a possible economic slowdown, 2023 will remain a jobseekers’ market in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, according to a study from Seek’s JobStreet and JobsDB, the Boston Consulting Group and The Network.

The study, which surveyed 97,324 respondents in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines,...

Asia Pacific – Chinese employers in Malaysia prefer to hire men to offset expanded maternity leave, survey finds

Chinese employers in Malaysia are choosing to hire more men than women to compensate for hours lost due to the newly expanded maternity leave policy enacted by the government, according to a survey from the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).

Malaysia’s Employment...

Taiwan – Most workers dissatisfied with their salaries, survey finds

Approximately 93.7% of office workers in Taiwan said that they are dissatisfied with the salary of their current job, an increase from last year's 93.2% rate, according to a survey from Yes123 Job Bank.

The 93.7% rate is the highest rate in ten years, the survey found.

Yang Zongbin, spokesperson of Yes123,...

Japan – Student part-time jobseekers soar in 2022: Recruit

The number of student jobseekers looking for part-time jobs has increased significantly from 2018 to 2022, according to a survey by Japanese staffing giant Recruit Holdings.

Compared to the 2018 survey results, the percentage of students who were looking for a part-time job within the last year (January...

Japan – Number of temporary agency workers up 5.8% in January

The number of Japan’s non-regular employees, which includes temporary workers, dispatch workers, contractors, part-time workers and others, totalled 21.33 million in January 2023, up 3.2% when compared to the same period a year ago, according to data from Statistics Japan.

Meanwhile, the number of ‘dispatched...

South Korea – Majority of companies decided to raise wages in 2023

The majority, or 78%, of companies in South Korea have decided to raise wages in 2023, with an average wage increase rate of 6.4%, according to research from Saramin HR.

The Saramin HR Research Institute surveyed 332 companies on their wage increase status for 2023. Most, or approximately 67.5%, 67.5% answered...