Graduate employability drops marginally to 84.4% in Malaysia
Malaysia’s graduate employability rate fell to 84.4% in 2020, down marginally from 86.2% year-on-year, said its Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE).
Taiwan’s employment rose for 8 consecutive months
The number of employees in the industrial and service sectors at the end of January increased by 0.18% or 15,000 to 8.17 million from December 2020.
Vietnam aims for e-government by 2025
Minister of information and communications Nguyen Manh Hung has said the country plans to implement a digital government by 2025.
Philippine senators call for faster mass inoculation to reduce unemployment
“Joblessness is a result of ‘jablessness’ … Mass inoculation is the cure to mass unemployment,” senate president pro tempore Ralph Recto has said.
Philippine government shuns hard lockdown
The government is adopting a “granular” approach instead of hard lockdowns to address a stubbornly high unemployment rate.
More New Zealanders cancelling unemployment benefit
The net number of people getting off the unemployment benefit has increased for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Cambodia trials work-from-home for one week
Prime Minister Hun Sen has issued a directive for all government institutions and the legislative body to adopt work-from-home practices for one week.
Malaysian businesses still in hiring freeze
Employers are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to hiring, says the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
Paradigm shift needed to close gender gap in Vietnam’s labour market
The pandemic has not only worsened existing gender inequalities, but also created new ones, said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Vietnam.
Malaysian SMEs must adopt digital technology in post-COVID era
Entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister has said SMEs must ready themselves with digital technology.
India’s unemployment rate back to pre-lockdown level in February
The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has said the country’s unemployment rate has fallen to 6.9% in February from 7.3% last July.
China aims to create more new urban jobs in 2021
Premier Li Keqiang has said China plans to create more than 11 million new urban jobs this year, an increase from last year’s goal of over 9 million.
Singapore launches online tool to assess employees’ mental health
The Ministry of Manpower has launched iWorkHealth – a digital tool to identify areas of stress for employees, and on how to deal with them.
Vietnam’s labour ministry rejects proposal for raising minimum wage
The labour ministry has vetoed a proposal for hiking the country’s minimum wage this year, saying Vietnam has yet to recover from the pandemic.
“No vaccination, no work” policy is illegal in the Philippines
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has said a “no vaccination, no work” policy enforced by any company or employer is illegal.
Hiring demand in Taiwan expected to spike in Q2 2021
The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has said the demand for workers should rise in Q2 this year due mainly to the expansion in the electronics sector.
New Zealand opens new wage subsidy applications
Finance minister Grant Robertson has announced that employers can start to apply for the latest government wage subsidies.
Japan’s unemployment falls, job availability rises
Despite the country being in a pandemic state of emergency, its unemployment rate declined and job availability increased, government statistics revealed.
Gender pay gap in Australia drops marginally
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has said the national gender pay gap decreased by 0.6 percentage points to 13.4% in the past six months.
New Zealand unions urge workplaces to adopt safe practices
The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and Business New Zealand (BNZ) have called on workplaces to help the country get through the pandemic safely.
Australian employees given choice to increase working incomes
The Australian government is looking to allow employees to choose between increased take-home pay and higher pension contributions.
Workers in India among the most overworked and paid the least: ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has said Indian employees ranked among the highest at being overworked and earned the least.
Singapore MP proposes formalising labour laws to protect locals
Labour MP Patrick Tay has said the country needs more formal labour laws instead of mere advisories and guidelines to protect local workers.
Developing East Asian countries underperform in adopting innovation
The World Bank said all 10 developing East Asian economies, except China, have innovated less than expected in relation to their per capita incomes.
Taiwan to nurture digital talent in four-year plan
In its four-year plan, Taiwan’s National Development Council (NDC) will focus on cultivating a digital talent pool, among other goals.
South Koreans’ average monthly income rose 4.1% in 2019
Data showed that the average monthly income of South Korean workers increased by 4.1% in 2019 year-on-year due to a rise in minimum wage.
New Zealand government approves improved Holidays Act
The revised Holidays Act will provide clarity to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements.
Singapore mulls progressive wage model for retail sector
Senior minister of state for manpower Zaqy Mohamad has said the government is considering a progressive wage model (PWM) for the retail sector.
Australian employers cannot force staff to get COVID-19 jab
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Safe Work Australia (SWA) have advised employers to assume employee vaccinations are not required.
Hong Kong will face unemployment woes for more than three years
Unemployment will plague Hong Kong for years ahead, and that it may take more than three years for the jobless rate to fall below 5%.