Based on the country’s present demographics, the working population is projected to increase by 12 million annually.
Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is proposing a three-month wage subsidy for workers.
Data from Statistics Korea showed that household incomes from salaries and business operations declined for three consecutive quarters in Q4 2020.
Yayasan Peneraju, an initiative to strengthen the capacity of bumiputeras (local Malays), has trained and certified over 36,000 bumiputeras since 2012.
Statistics Korea said the number of temporary and daily jobs for those in their 20s declined 18% in January due to the pandemic.
As the restrictions on businesses ease in Hong Kong, testing centres for COVID-19 are stretched to the max due to mandatory testing.
Under its social security system, the government has approved a scheme that will give salaried workers 4,000 baht (US$134) each.
Smaller businesses saw a steep drop in employment numbers while that of larger conglomerates rose last year.
The government has issued new SOPs that allow work to resume in offices after disinfection has been done in accordance with new protocols.
The government has relaxed its labour code that explicitly forbids workers “to have their meals inside work premises”.
The government is considering giving employees the COVID-19 vaccine the same way they get their annual flu jab at work.
Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) believes that raising daily wages by P100 (US$2.1) will likely result in more unemployment.
The government’s paperless portal for MSME registration – Udyam Registration – has processed 2.03 million registrations in the last three months.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that more than 160,000 jobs are expected to be created in 2021 through investments in human capital.
Labour and employment secretary Apurva Chandra said the new labour codes would provide the flexibility of four working days in a week.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has said the country’s unemployment rate increased 4.5% in 2020 – the highest in 27 years.
The government has launched the Short-Term Absence Payment (STAP) – a scheme to help businesses and staff affected by the pandemic.
Lord Allan Velasco has submitted a pandemic-relief bill of 420 billion peso (US$8.7 billion) to Congress to spur the economy into recovery.
Most employers are not considering adjusting their staff’s salary even as remote working has become a trend.
Key government agencies have signed a joint memorandum circular to set up the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) Task Force.
The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) said the local economy has the capacity to create 70,000 jobs for every 1% increase in its GDP.
Prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has given the go-ahead for financial aid costing 40 billion baht to help employees left out under previous schemes.
The unemployment rate fell unexpectedly and salaries increased, ruling out the probability that the central bank will reduce interest rates.
Finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the government will not impose a strict lockdown as it would impact the country’s 900,000 SMEs severely.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called on the government to provide immediate subsidies for workers struggling financially.
Yayasan Peneraju said the country’s young human capital needs to be retrained and upskilled to keep up with digitalisation trends.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has fined 42 more companies for not following workplace safety regulations.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has launched an AI programme to prepare workers for disruption from technological advancement.
The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) is pushing for the removal of the rule that workers must be employed for six months before getting sick leave.
The Executive Yuan has passed a new Act to address the challenges of an ageing population and potential future labour shortages.