Sri Lankan authorities suspend licenses of 400 foreign employment agencies in past year (Xinhua)

Sri Lankan authorities have suspended the licenses of 400 foreign employment agencies in the past 12 months for violating the terms of their licenses, reports Xinhua, citing the minister of labour and foreign employment minister. Addressing an event in Colombo to mark International Migrants Day, minister...

Former Sydney café operators fined for underpaying casual workers

Australia’s workplace watchdog secured AUD 124,275 (USD 83,486) in penalties in court against the former operators of a café in Sydney for underpaying casual workers.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court imposed a total of AUD 99,900 (USD 66,928) in penalties against More Than Skin Pty Ltd, which operated...

New Zealand’s GDP up 1.3% annually in Q3, but sees slight quarterly fall

New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) was up 1.3% when compared to the prior year period but down 0.3% over the previous quarter, according to figures by Statistics New Zealand.

The 0.3% quarterly fall followed a revised 0.5% quarterly increase in the June 2023 quarter.

Despite the overall quarterly...

Indonesia aims to send 100,000 workers to ageing Japan (Nikkei Asia)

Indonesia says it plans to send 100,000 workers to Japan over the next five years, helping Tokyo ease a pressing labour shortage as the population ages, reports Nikkei Asia. Indonesia’s manpower ministry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held their first joint human resources forum...

Malaysia’s labour market set to strengthen in 2024 amid momentum in domestic economy (The Star)

Malaysia’s labour market is expected to strengthen further and return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, backed by the encouraging momentum of the domestic economy, reports The Star Malaysia, citing Centre for Market Education chief executive officer Carmelo Ferlito. According to Ferlito, the level of...

Jaic revenue rises 19% for nine-month period but EBITDA down

Jaic (7073: TYO), a Japan-based professional services firm primarily engaged in education-integrated recruitment services, reported revenue today for the first nine months ended 31 October 2023 of JPY 2.73 billion (USD 19.3 million), an increase of 19.1% over the previous year.

Australia’s Closing Loopholes Act receives Royal Assent and comes into effect

The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023 received Royal Assent yesterday and certain key changes come into effect from today, 15 December 2023.

From today the Act empowers the Commission to consider applications relating to some labour hire workers. Equal pay for labour hire workers...

New Zealand job ads plunge 28% in November as hiring activity winds down ahead of Christmas

Job ads across New Zealand were 28% lower year-on-year in November, according to data from job board Seek.

When compared to the prior month, job ads declined by 5% in November. Applications per job ad rose for a second month in October, up 5% from September and are now at the highest level on record....

The Adecco Group and NSDC join forces to boost job opportunities for Indian talent

The Adecco Group and NSDC International (NSDCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the India-based National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), announced a partnership with the aim of enhancing international mobility for skilled and certified Indian candidates.

According to both companies, the framework...

China’s urban unemployment rate stable at 5% in November (Xinhua)

China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate remained at 5% in November, reports Xinhua, citing a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics. From January to November, the average surveyed urban unemployment rate came in at 5.2%, 0.4% lower than that of the same period of last year, according to...