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.
Eligible recipients will receive Rp$1 million for two consecutive months, and will have to be registered with the Workers Social Security Agency.
This is on top of an additional 30 days of maternity leave that mothers of a third child were awarded at end-May.
The survey by the Japan Business Federation found that the pandemic impacted businesses in the non-manufacturing sectors the most.
Taiwan's New Power Party (NPP) has raised the issue of employers using pandemic relief funds to pay their staff’s salaries.
The labour cost index (LCI) of all salary and wages, including overtime pay, increased by 2.1%, showing an increase of 1.6% in the year-to-March 2021 quarter.
The new rate will take effect on 1 January 2022, translating to a monthly wage of 1.91 million won (US$1,672), and will apply across all industries.
Companies have asked the government to allow them to deduct the cost of vaccinating their employees from their corporate taxes.
Parents who were previously not eligible for paternity or adoption leave can now qualify for benefits up to S$30,000.
Lawmakers have since escalated calls for a new relief package, with the idea of an extra budget valued at 30 trillion yen being floated around.
Formal workers will be able to receive a one-time cash assistance of P$5,000 (US$100) under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Programme.
The 34.9-trillion-won (US$30.5-billion) supplementary budget should be disbursed swiftly to pandemic-hit businesses and people.
To buffer the impact of pandemic lockdowns, the government has been providing help to workers via its various policies.
The Ministry of Manpower is preparing the policy for distribution of the BSU wage subsidy programme for workers in 2021.
The legislation doubling the minimum number of sick leave from five to 10 took effect on Saturday, July 24, for employees in New Zealand.
The support package will help workers and businesses affected by the country’s reversion to stricter pandemic restrictions.
The government has been asked to ensure that the support to events, tourism and F&B from vaccinations lead to a sustained recovery.
Amid tighter COVID-19 measures, the associations have asked for rental rebates, foreign worker levies and an extension of bank loan moratoriums.
Companies can now apply for interest-free loans to pay furloughed staff and salaries from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.
Targeted support will be provided for businesses and workers affected by the latest tightened safe management measures from July 22 to August 18.
Employees in the garment and tourism industries whose employment contracts have been suspended can expect cash subsidies.
This comes after the country’s minimum wage commission set the new minimum wage rate at 9,160 won (US$7.94) per hour for 2022.
The financial aid will apply to companies in the sectors of construction, hotels, food services, art, entertainment and recreation in affected provinces.
The labour ministry has recommended raising the national average minimum wage by 3.1% to 930 yen (US$8.43) per hour.
Some 30% of gig workers estimated their hourly wage after expenses to be between NZ$18.90 and 2021's scheduled minimum wage of NZ$20.
The Minimum Wage Commission (MWC) has set the country’s minimum wage for next year at 9,160 won (US$8) per hour.
The payout will be on top of the RM$1,000 assistance which was credited to the companies’ bank accounts in mid-June this year.
The New South Wales (NSW) and federal governments have announced a financial assistance package to keep businesses afloat.