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ASIA NEWS
SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE ADDRESSES WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
SINGAPORE HAS SET UP a Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness (TCWF) to review the framework for workplace fairness in Singapore. The committee, comprising representatives from the government, unions and employers, will deliberate on whether legislation is “the best policy option” in tackling workplace discrimination, according to Singapore’s Manpower Minister Tan See Leng. TCWF is tasked with upholding workplace fairness and examining policy options in tackling workplace discrimination and aims to complete its work by the first half of 2022.
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES TRAINING SCHEME TO BOOST DIGITAL SKILLS
THE TRIAL BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S Digital Skills Organisation (DSO) will benefit employers, job seekers and training providers across Australia’s digital sector by working with them to create improved qualifications and training that meet the evolving workforce needs of the digital economy. The trial will focus on entry-level data analysts and general digital skills required across the workforce, and builds on the DSO’s successful Train 100 Data Analyst project, which is already providing opportunities for Australians to develop digital skills.
JAPAN
REMOTE WORKING IN JAPAN FALLS AMID TELEWORK FATIGUE
THE PROPORTION OF PEOPLE
in Japan who are teleworking in July 2021 fell from that of April’s, showed a survey by the Japan Productivity Centre. Many workers are finding their work productivity plummet amid a wave of telework fatigue, despite the government’s calls for employees to work from home under Japan’s latest COVID-19 state of emergency. The proportion of people working completely remotely in a recent week in July stood at 11.6%, down from 18.5% in April, and is the lowest since the survey began in May 2020.
NEW ZEALAND
10-DAY SICK LEAVE RULE TAKES EFFECT IN NEW ZEALAND
THE LEGISLATION DOUBLING the minimum number of sick leave from five to 10 took effect on July 24 for employees in New Zealand. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood said the move will bring benefits to both businesses and employees to “help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy”. He explained that employees are eligible for the increased entitlement at different times over the next year in line with their work anniversary date.
MALAYSIA
DATUK DR SYED HUSSAIN SYED HUSMAN
President of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), has encouraged employers in Malaysia to embrace workplace safety and health culture in a post-pandemic ‘new normal’. Employees are the employers’ greatest assets and the safety and health of employees at the workplace must be prioritised, he added while also urging employers to set up a dedicated safety department at the workplace and appoint a safety officer at the work site.
SOUTH KOREA
MORE SOUTH KOREAN WORKERS WANT TO DELAY RETIREMENT
ABOUT 68.1% OF SOUTH KOREANS aged between 55 and 79 said they would want to work till an average age of 73, health permitting. This works out to about 10 million people out of the 14.76 million in this age bracket, an increase of 0.7 percentage point year-on-year in May, according to a Statistics Korea survey. As for why they wish to continue working, 58.7% said they want to continue earning their living expenses, while 33.2% said they want to feel the joy of work as long as their health permits.
