South Korea extends financial relief to firms
The payment of employment insurance fees and electricity and gas bills for April and June will be postponed for three more months.
HR Fest Awards 2022 shines the spotlight on the best of HR in Asia
One of the most anticipated events at HR Tech Festival Asia 2022 will see 23 finalists vie for the top award in five coveted categories.
Australia moves to reduce gender retirement gap
A baby bonus superannuation payment can reduce the gap between the retirement savings of men and women who go on maternity leave.
Malaysia needs better living wage system, says EPF chief
The Employees Provident Fund is keen to see wages go upwards, but stresses that it must match with the availability of funds and the right way to do it.
Singapore moves to help older PMEs transition to new jobs
Making the Jobs Growth Incentive permanent can help mature professionals, managers, and executives (PMEs) transition into new jobs, said MP Patrick Tay.
Employment of disabled workers increases in China
Some 8.62 million people with disabilities, including the self-employed and flexible workers, were employed in 2020, up from 8.55 million in 2019.
Malaysia moots Bill that could make gig workers formal employees
In a first of its kind, the federal government will debate on an amendment Bill that could redefine the relationship of gig workers and tech companies.
Australia sees rise in apprentices who secured jobs
About 94% of trade apprentice graduates were employed after training in 2021, up 2.5 percentage points from 2019.
Self-employed are less happy than salaried workers in South Korea
A report has found that self-employed people in South Korea are less happy than wage earners even though in many other countries the reverse is true.
Some 29% of gig workers in Singapore work almost 60 hours a week
Around half of the 1,000 respondents of a recent survey said that they would leave the ride-sharing industry if there were job opportunities.
New Zealand raises minimum wage and taxes on the rich
The move to raise minimum wage from the current NZ$20.0 (US$13.5) to NZ$21.2 (US$14.3) per hour has drawn widespread criticism from businesses.
Wage subsidies support employment of 2.95 million workers in Malaysia
As of February 18, a total of RM21.72 million has been channelled to 902 MSMEs under the Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Scheme.
60% of women in Cambodia are business owners
Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng has said that more than 60% of women in the kingdom are business owners or entrepreneurs.
Thailand’s jobless rate falls as COVID-19 curbs ease
The impact of the Omicron variant on economic activity has not been significant, allowing activities within the country to proceed.
Singapore discourages incentive schemes tied to attendance
Enforcement action may be taken on employers who continue to implement attendance-tied incentive schemes from next year.
WHO and ILO: Set boundaries on working hours when teleworking
Employees should also establish individual telework plans and clarify expectations about timelines and expected results, the WHO and ILO highlighted.
Jobs creation a priority for the Philippines in 2022
In conjunction with the National Economic Recovery Strategy, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines has pledged to create 1 million jobs.
Japan group set up to protect gig workers’ rights
Currently, gig workers are considered self-employed and therefore not guaranteed a minimum wage or employment insurance.
Retirement age to be progressively raised in China
Jiangsu will be the country’s first province to allow workers to postpone retirement next month in a bid to decrease social welfare spending.
South Korea sees slower growth of jobs in Q3’2021
The number of jobs for workers in their 60s and above rose by 243,000, recording the highest increase among all age groups.
13.5% of workers in Taiwan not given overtime pay
Although work satisfaction increased to 72.5% last year, 13.5% of workers reported that they did not get extra pay for working overtime.
Gender pay gap in Australia falls to 13.8%
The full-time wage gap between male and female workers amounted to A$255 per week, marking the second lowest national pay gap in the last 20 years.
How organisations can plan their work transformation strategy
The Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) has developed playbooks to help SMEs in Singapore achieve digital and work transformation.
South Korea approves extra budget to help businesses
The country’s parliament has passed a larger-than-planned first extra budget of this year amid the biggest outbreak of the pandemic to date.
Malaysia partners with on-demand work platform to protect gig workers
Gig workers on the platform with existing EPF accounts can give their consent to opt into the programme and set their contribution rate.
China to launch policies supporting SMEs
To help SMEs tide over the pandemic, the government will implement more supportive policies to help SMEs operationally and financially.
Victoria sets aside A$200 million stimulus for firms
A$34.2 million of funding will be used to place workers in over 1,500 jobs across hospitality, warehousing and logistics, and tourism.
Taiwan’s gender pay gap rises to 15.8% in 2021
The pay gap between the hourly wage of male workers and that of female ones averaged NT$57 or 15.8% last year, according to the Ministry of Labour.
Businesses in Malaysia urged to pay workers higher wages
Although the government is still discussing the minimum wage hike, some firms are already paying more than the minimum wage.
Australia enforces payment of workers’ superannuation
The Australian Taxation Office will penalise employers who fail to pay workers’ superannuation after delaying its enforcement due to the pandemic.