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Jobs

Jobs
News about job creation, job losses, labour disputes, wage trends and other developments from around the world with a focus on Hong Kong and China.
A semiconductor chip with “Made in Malaysia” on it. Electrical and electronics now account for 40 per cent of Malaysia’s exports. Photo: Shutterstock
Asean

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

Success relies on five key pillars, including deeper regional coordination and targeted industrial upgrading.

India

Gig workers’ strike in India spurs debate on human cost of delivery race

Singapore

Singapore steps up migrant worker reforms amid calls for deeper change

United States

US job growth slows amid AI and tariffs, Fed likely to hold rates steady

Structural shifts from AI and trade policies limit hiring to 50,000 in December, reinforcing bets that the central bank will hold rates steady.

A cyclist rides past a “Now Hiring” sign in San Gabriel, California, in August 2024. Photo: AFP
Technology

Singapore, Beijing land in top 10 of Savills’ Matcha Index of global tech cities

Even with its premium-priced matcha drinks, Singapore ranks among the world’s most ‘liveable’ cities for tech workers.

Japan

Canning old ways: how Japan is rethinking foreign labour

Tawara Canning has managed to maintain its workforce by offering foreigners places to stay and a chance to integrate with the community.

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China jobs

What are China’s hottest jobs as AI reshapes the labour market?

The structural shift in China’s labour market will make digital skills mandatory as new opportunities emerge and traditional work tapers off.

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Artificial intelligence will shape the future of job creation in China as demand for AI product managers surges by 178 per cent and digital skills will be mandatory in the new employment landscape. Photo: Shutterstock
Human rights

Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.

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United States

Trump’s US$100,000 H-1B visa fee upheld by judge, as lottery system ends

The US awards 85,000 H-1B visas annually via lottery, with Indian nationals accounting for nearly three-quarters of recipients.

Singapore

Singapore’s young graduates feel the heat in ‘draining’ job hunt

A dearth of entry-level jobs has forced some young Singaporeans to pivot to stopgap roles and entrepreneurship.

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The central business district in Singapore. Official data showed the unemployment rate of residents aged below 30 was 5.5 per cent in September. Photo: Reuters
North Korea

How North Koreans use ‘laptop farms’ in US to land tech jobs abroad

Amazon said it has blocked more than 1,800 North Korean workers from remote IT jobs, citing a rise in applications.

Many North Koreans exploit US “laptop farms” to secure remote tech jobs. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Mind your language: Japan considers new fluency bar for permanent residents

While some say Japanese knowledge is a fair demand, others worry it will introduce ‘roadblocks’ at a time when the country needs more workers.

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South Korea

Vietnamese influx surges as South Korea’s foreign population hits record high

The Vietnamese population in South Korea jumped by 15.5 per cent last year, the fastest growing among major ethnic groups.

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China economy

Opinion | Protection of vulnerable workers must be part of China’s AI strategy

Unemployment and underemployment are a double whammy that the Chinese leadership cannot ignore.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
India

India overhauls controversial rural jobs scheme despite opposition walkout

The scheme increases guaranteed workdays but shifts funding to states, as opposition cries foul over the changes.

Unemployed youths fill application forms to access job openings outside an “employment van” in Hyderabad in 2021. Photo: AFP
China jobs

China’s youth-unemployment rate eases to 16.9% as graduates settle for less

Job market remains plagued by a mismatch between skills and vacancies, pushing more graduates towards blue-collar jobs or gig work.

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South Korea

Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate

The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.

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Food and Drinks

Need restaurant staff? Shift Happens is here to help

Since the pandemic, restaurants have had trouble finding staff – Roucou Cheese Omakase & Bar is among those that turned to Shift Happens.

Hong Kong’s hospitality sector faces staffing shortages, but start-up Shift Happens is offering a recruitment solution. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong jobless rate unchanged at 3.8% on back of ‘solid’ economic expansion

Improving consumer confidence, economic growth supporting overall market but some sectors may remain under pressure, labour chief says.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

ByteDance tops rivals Meituan and Alibaba in recruitments this year, according to professional social networking platform Maimai.

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India

In India, tycoon’s call to adopt ‘996’ work culture in China spurs debate

India’s parliament is debating a new law to allow staff the ‘right to disconnect’ from workplace communications after their official hours.

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Commuters walk at a railway station in Mumbai. Workers in India are among the most overworked globally, according to data from the International Labour Organization. Photo: AFP
Africa

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

To truly harness their potential, countries across the continent seeking to industrialise must develop education and infrastructure in tandem.

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A woman walks her daughter to school in Eikenhof, South Africa, on August 24, 2020. Photo: Reuters
China jobs

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

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Technology

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

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Asean

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

Asia makes the chips driving the AI boom, but the technology threatens to erase jobs and widen the region’s wealth gap, a new UN report says.

A Thai engineer services AI-powered healthcare robots in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Malaysia promises millions of gig workers a safety net, but critics see holes

A new law would mandate written contracts and dispute resolution, but labour groups argue it still leaves workers at the mercy of algorithms.

A delivery rider for Grab passes in front of a house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Letters | To prevent an AI job apocalypse, take a leaf from immigration policy

Readers discuss managing AI like foreign hires, rewilding open spaces in Hong Kong, and economic rebalancing.

China society

Opinion | Elite success stories are cold comfort for disillusioned young workers

The backlash over a tycoon’s letter to overburdened staff during his trip to Antarctica reveals a fissure beyond a generational divide.

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