Indian e-commerce firms' demand for gig workers up in June as shopping festivals near (Business Standard)

Demand for gig workers in Indian in June increased 25% in e-commerce and 35% in quick commerce year-on-year as Amazon, Flipkart and other online sellers prepare for shopping festivals, reports the Business Standard, citing research from tracking tool Taskmo Gig Index. There was a demand for 200 million...

New Zealand passes bill to protect migrant workers from exploitation

The New Zealand government last week announced it has taken further steps to protect migrant workers and champion workers’ rights through the passing of the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill.

The Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill introduced the final changes from...

Indian staffing platform Smartstaff raises $6.2 million in Series A funding

Blue-collar staffing platform Smartstaff, based in India, has raised USD 6.2 million in Series A funding from Nexus Ventures, Arkam Ventures, Blume Ventures, and Alteria Capital.

With this latest round, the total funding raised by the company stands at USD 10.5 million.

In 2021, the platform announced that it had raised USD 4.3 million....

Up to 500,000 South Korean workers strike as they call for president’s resignation over proposed labour reforms (The Straits Times)

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has announced two weeks of strikes starting from Monday to call for the resignation of the nation’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, reports The Straits Times. The strikes, which are expected to involve a total 400,000 to 500,000 workers, are in protest against...

China’s jobless youths may pose political risk, top adviser says (The Japan Times)

China’s growing youth unemployment rate could trigger political problems if not properly handled, reports The Japan Times, citing a warning from a prominent economist who has advised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government. “The issue of youth unemployment will likely continue for the next decade...

India’s white-collar hiring down 3% in June amid IT industry slump

Hiring activity in India's white-collar professional segment reported a decrease of 3% in June 2023 when compared to the same period a year ago, according to the latest Naukri JobSpeak Index.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index, which describes itself as one of most accurate measures of hiring in India based on...

ILO Director-General calls for balance between economic growth and decent employment in Vietnam

During his two-day trip, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, held talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, senior Vietnamese officials, government ministers and workers’ and employers’ representatives on issues including advancing social justice...

Only 13% of Indian employees feel safe to express thoughts and ideas without fear of consequences (Press Trust of India)

Approximately one in 10 employees in India (13%) said they feel safe to express their thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment or negative consequences in their offices, reports The Press Trust of India, citing a report by HR solutions provider Genius Consultants. The report is based on an online...

Taiwanese man gets six-year jail sentence for Myanmar job scam (Focus Taiwan)

A Taiwanese man was sentenced to six years and four months in prison for luring people to Myanmar with lucrative job offers and forcing them to carry out online scams, reports Focus Taiwan citing a recent Taipei District Court ruling. The man is believed to be part of a human trafficking syndicate that...

Tata Consulting Services confirms ban on six employees and six staffing firms over breach of ethics

IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has confirmed that it took action against six employees after finding them favouring a few staffing firms in incidents that recently became public.

In an annual general meeting, chairman N Chandrasekaran said six employees and six business associates (recruitment...