HRM Asia’s top five stories of September, 2019

A frank leader on ageing employees, countries vying for China's business; and overworked workers in Southeast Asia dominated the top news last month.
By: | October 1, 2019

It’s been a big month in workforce news across Southeast Asia, with some key developments setting the agenda locally. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad has shared his take on ageing workers and how they should retire to let younger workers be promoted, while Southeast Asian workers have been noted for their long working hours across all markets.

Blackberry is making a comeback, with a key focus on building its Asia workforce, and former Google Chief HR Officer Lazlo Bock has predicted a revolution of sorts for the entire, global profession.

Here are the top five stories from September, 2019.

  1. Thailand and Vietnam fight to attract investors

The two ASEAN economies both want to woo companies away from China amid its political and economic tensions.

  1. Former Google HR Chief predicts HR Revolution

Laszlo Bock believes that we are on the cusp of an HR revolution, like the operations and manufacturing revolutions of a century ago.

  1. BlackBerry expanding in Asia as employers want more security

The former handset maker is now a cybersecurity expert, and is riding off of the back of privacy concerns in the region to drive revenue.

  1. Malaysian PM laughs off raising retirement age to 65

Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad says retiring at 60 is “good enough,” and will avoid “dead wood” in the workplace.

  1. ASEAN employees working the longest hours

Of the workforces taking on the longest hours in the world, three are in this region, including Singapore and Thailand.