Asia Pacific – Persol Asia Pacific acquires Helpster, operator of Workmate

Persol Asia Pacific, a part of the Persol Group, announced that it acquired 100% of the shares of Singapore-based Helpster Pte. Ltd. which operates Workmate, an on-demand staffing platform.

Workmate connects front-line workers in restaurants and call centres with companies in Thailand and Indonesia.

According...

Hong Kong – Most companies found it harder to hire talent in past year (South China Morning Post)

More than half of Hong Kong companies have found it harder to hire talent in the past 12 months than at any point in the last five years, reports the South China Morning Post, citing research from recruitment platform JobsDB, a subsidiary of Australian job board Seek. JobsDB’s Hong Kong managing director...

India – IT’s share in white-collar labour market falls below 50% (Economic Times)

The information technology industry’s share in the white-collar jobs market in India dropped below 50% for the first time in three years in October, as companies remained cautious on recruitment amid rising risk of recession and high inflation in their key markets, reports The Economic Times, citing...

India – Majority of manufacturing employers keen on hiring in Q3 (LiveMint)

The manufacturing sector in India has raised its hiring projections, with 57% of employers looking to hire in the October-December (Q3), reports LiveMint, citing a report by TeamLease Services. When combined with the services industry, the hiring targets have increased from 61% in July-September to 65%...

India – Tech Mahindra revenue up 20.7% in second quarter

Indian IT services firm Tech Mahindra Ltd. reported revenue rose 20.7% year over year to INR 131.30 billion (US$1.61 billion) in its fiscal second quarter ended 30 September. However, gross margin declined on a year-over-year basis.

“We continue to focus on being resilient and agile to ensure long-term...

India – FirstMeridian gets approval from Sebi for IPO

India-based staffing firm FirstMeridian Business Services Ltd has received capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) approval to raise up to INR 8 billion (USD 96.7 million) through an initial public offering (IPO).

FirstMeridian’s IPO will consist of a fresh issue of...

New Zealand – Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate steady in September quarter

New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged in the September quarter of 2022 when compared to the same period a year ago, according to data from Statistics New Zealand.

When compared to the previous quarter, the unemployment rate also remained unchanged.

While the unemployment...

New Zealand – Companies need to adapt if they want to retain staff, recruitment firms say (Radio New Zealand)

Recruitment firms in New Zealand say the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the business landscape and companies need to adapt if they want to retain staff, reports Radio New Zealand. Madison Recruitment said New Zealand's working environment has progressed 10 years over the past two years, as companies struggle...

World – Labour market to deteriorate further as Ukraine conflict and other crises continue: ILO

The outlook for global labour markets has worsened in recent months and based on current trends, job vacancies will decline and global employment growth will deteriorate significantly in the final quarter of 2022, according to a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The report highlighted...

Asia Pacific – Most employers favour offshoring recruitment strategies

The majority, or 84%, of employers across Asia Pacific favour offshoring recruitment strategies, according to a report from PersolKelly.

The report found that markets with the highest adoption rate are Vietnam (46%), South Korea (43%), Thailand (39%).

PersolKelly also found that 80% of employers find that...