The funds will financially support companies and employees affected by the latest measures to contain the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
The 2022 budget will focus on job and income recovery and provide more targeted assistance to boost socio-economic resilience.
Representatives of 17 national unions have agreed to ask for a US$22.20 increase to the minimum wage for textile, garment and footwear workers for 2022.
The issue of recruitment agencies not being able to access governmental wage subsidies is being examined and discussed.
Over 25,000 businesses have signed an Auckland Business Chamber petition calling for the provision of more financial support.
The gender wage gap, which measures the rate of men’s average pay to that of women, measured 35.9% in 2020.
A survey by the Japan Business Federation took into account the agreed bonuses of 159 Tokyo-listed firms with over 500 employees.
Taiwan is deliberating on the minimum wage for 2022, even as some businesses continue to struggle financially because of the pandemic.
The Progressive Wage Model will be expanded to new sectors such as retail, food services and waste management.
Singapore will ramp up the funding of a scheme that helps local workers whose earnings are in the bottom 20%, receiving not more than S$2,300 a month.
Some 97.2% of the male national public servants whose children were born between July 2020 and March 2021 took paternity leave for at least a month.
The NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce had consulted over 9,000 PMEs aged between 20 to 60 years old on their key concerns and needs at the workplace.
Big businesses are conspicuously absent from applying for the latest wage subsidy scheme pushed out by the government.
The hike is required to support sectors badly impacted by the pandemic, including hotel, F&B and assorted services.
Revenues have dropped for many businesses as the country goes into Level 4 lockdown mode in response to a Delta variant outbreak of COVID-19.
The leave covers full-time, part-time, long-term staff and regular casuals at public entities, and grants workers half a day off to get their jabs.
The programme was first introduced in fiscal 2020 as a two-year measure, and is set to expire in March 2022.
The country’s average annual salary breached the A$90,000 (US$64,191) mark for the first time, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This includes the adjustment of its soft loan scheme to support liquidity for both existing and new SME borrowers by expanding their credit line.
Worker unions and labour rights groups want the minimum wage to increase from US$192 to US$200 a month.
As the country raises its COVID-19 alert to level 4, the government is planning to reinstate the wage subsidy.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has cautioned that firms offering staff vaccination incentives could be exposed to compensation claims.
These include a 30% cut in corporate income tax, and a 30% value-added tax cut for businesses in sectors hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
From next January, public employees will be granted up to 10 days of paid leave for fertility treatments. as Japan tries to addressing a falling birth rate.
By end-2021, jobless numbers are forecasted to hit 3.4 million, up from 3 million in Q2’ 2021, reported the country’s central bank chief.
The government is planning to require more companies to provide written contracts when they hire freelancers.
From August 23, workers whose income fell by at least 20% during July would be able to apply for the subsidy.
The annual wage for employees in South Korea posted US$41,960 on average in 2020, compared to the OECD average of US$49,165.
The Philippines wants unvaccinated workers not allowed by their employers to enter workplaces to be paid for being present.
A new regulation that boosts the financial assistance offered to state enterprise employees infected with COVID-19 has taken effect.