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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.
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
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.

Africa

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

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China jobs

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

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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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The automated Seres Super Factory fpr electric vehicles in Liangjiang New Area, southwest China’s Chongqing, on September 19. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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.

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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.

Immigration officers escort suspected illegal workers from a renovation site in Tuen Mun on January 7. Photo: Jelly Tse
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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China jobs

Youth unfulfilled: job opportunities in China’s senior-care sector go untapped

Amid booming opportunities in the care economy as China’s population gets older, new graduates express concerns over low wages and unfamiliarity with the field.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Will AI kill the middle class?

When the creators of a new technology warn that it could destroy the primary engine of global growth of the past half a century, it’s worth paying attention.

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Visitors to the AI and Robotics Fest at the Hong Kong Productivity Council building in Kowloon Tong are reflected on the head of a humanoid robot, on November 10. Photo: Karma Lo
Banking & finance

Hiring outlook improves for Hong Kong’s financial sector, recruiters say

Upbeat equity markets have increased demand for finance professionals, with hiring set to rise by up to 15 per cent next year.

Job prospects in Hong Kong’s banking and finance sector are set to improve next year. Photo: Karma Lo
China jobs

China’s urban youth jobless rate falls slightly in tough market for graduates

Record numbers of young people still face intense competition securing employment, pushing more to pursue alternative paths.

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China consumption

800 million: how a new target indicates a shift in China’s economic strategy

China projects it will have 800 million people living on middle incomes in 10 years, as it pledges to ‘invest more in people’.

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United States

Shutdown crippled US jobs report, so no unemployment rate: Trump adviser

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett also said he expects the government closure to reduce fourth-quarter GDP by 1.5 per cent.

Director of the US National Economic Council Kevin Hassett speaks to reporters outside the White House last month. Photo: AFP
China jobs

Fair wages: China’s young jobseekers take their résumés to trade expos

With unemployment high among China’s recent graduates, some are turning the country’s enormous trade fairs into networking opportunities.

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China’s young jobseekers are turning to trade fairs and expos to find new opportunities as the country’s labour market continues to present challenges. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Meta Platforms’ AI lay-offs triggered by resource competition: ex-researcher

Tian Yuandong says internal conflicts emerged at Meta as LLM development became the industry-wide focus.

Bangladesh

Malaysian firms accused of exploiting Bangladeshi workers in wage dispute

The workers are seeking unpaid wages and compensation for 431 Bangladeshi labourers allegedly exploited by two Malaysian companies.

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China economy

Opinion | To become a developed nation, China must still prioritise manufacturing

The question is not whether manufacturing endures, but how Beijing can turn its industrial might into productivity growth across all sectors.

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A worker makes a photovoltaic module at a factory in Suqian, Jiangsu province, on July 22. Photo: CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images
DeepSeek

China’s DeepSeek makes rare comment, calls for AI ‘whistle-blower’ on job losses

Remarks by CEO Liang Wenfeng’s delegate highlight potential dangers of race to build superintelligent systems.

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Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

No place to call home: plight of Hong Kong’s pregnant domestic helpers

Support groups say helpers who become pregnant often face losing their jobs, separation from babies.

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Hong Kong property

European private equity firm Ardian eyes fresh growth at new Hong Kong office

Ardian’s expansion in Hong Kong reflects robust growth in the city’s private banking and wealth management sectors.

Two IFC, on the waterfront of Hong Kong’s Central district, is the city’s second-tallest building and new home for private equity firm Ardian. Photo: Edmond So
China jobs

China’s civil service exam sees record-breaking applicant pool after age range expansion

Tough job market, wider age thresholds create China's largest candidate cohort for public sector positions, treasured for their stability.

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Examinees preparing to enter a venue for China’s national civil servant exam on November 26, 2023. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
United States

US Fed lowers key rate, but Powell says December cut not guaranteed

The central bank’s second consecutive quarter-point cut seeks to bolster the flagging US labour market.

Artificial intelligence

Global companies ratchet up job cuts amid weak sentiment, AI push

The occupations most likely to be affected would be where entry-level work is replaced with automation, Bank of America economists say.

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Hong Kong must ensure labour import scheme does its job

Policymakers should make sure the scheme addresses the worker shortage in certain industries while also preventing abuse and keeping options open for local talent.

Workers fix scaffolding adjacent to a building in Causeway Bay as people eat at a restaurant, on April 1. Photo: Sam Tsang
China economy

Opinion | Time for China to set an explicit household consumption target

As Beijing’s five-year plan shapes up to follow a familiar agenda, policymakers need to focus on invigorating the consumer’s role as a more powerful driver of growth.

Visitors select blind boxes at a cultural industries fair in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on May 22. Photo: Xinhua
China jobs

China’s youth jobless rate falls but remains high after record graduation season

Unemployment hits 17.7 per cent among those 16 to 24, down from 18.9 per cent in August, as graduates face competitive labour market.

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Japan

Japan Post stops forcing delivery staff to ride bicycles as punishment

The policy was scrapped after a postman was made to cycle for two weeks in temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius for a minor infraction.

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