3 minute read
ASIA NEWS
AUSTRALIA
SECRET
AUSTRALIA IS SET TO BAN WAGE SECRECY clauses in employment contracts under industrial relations changes by the government, in a move that it hopes would be able to create a level playing field and narrow the country’s gender pay gap.
Large financial institutions and corporations have traditionally used pay secrecy clauses to stop co-workers from comparing their wage package and pushing for pay hikes. The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill, said Australia’s Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke, will help close the country’s 14.1 per cent gender pay gap, and protect women through “security, fair pay and proper protections”.
JAPAN
JAPAN’S TOP BUSINESS LOBBY URGES FIRMS TO RAISE WAGES
JAPAN’S TOP BUSINESS LOBBY, Keidanren, has urged member companies to raise workers’ wages next spring to offset rising prices.
Keidanren has called on its members, which include Japan’s biggest companies, to consider price trends and “take forward-looking action that maintains and strengthens the momentum of wage increases.”
It identified young employees, workers with children, and non-permanent employees as those who are most vulnerable to inflation. Keidanren also highlighted alternatives businesses could take besides raising monthly pay, which include providing cost-of-living allowances and special bonuses.
CHINA
CHINA DOLES OUT MORE SUPPORT FOR FEMALE EMPLOYEES
CHINA WILL BE GIVING MORE SUPPORT to female workers, after its top legislative body passed a newly amended law.
The revised law underlines that employers must not restrict female employees from promotion or obtaining technical skills due to circumstances like marriage, pregnancy, maternity leave, or breastfeeding.
The law, which comes into effect January 1 next year, also forbids the sexual harassment of women via words, text messages, physical acts, or any other means. Under such circumstances, women are encouraged to report to government departments or public security authorities or initiate a civil lawsuit if they are sexually harassed.
MALAYSIA
EMPLOYERS IN MALAYSIA URGED TO PRIORITISE EMPLOYEES’ MENTAL HEALTH
THE MALAYSIAN TRADES UNION CONGRESS (MTUC)
has recommended that leave be granted to enable employees to deal with the mental stress they feel at work. MTUC president Effendy Abdul Ghani said employers must understand that their employees have other responsibilities outside of work, too.
“There is a stigma surrounding mental health and psychiatric problems and this should be dealt with immediately. The attending physician who assesses the employee should be the authority to recommend time out to rest,” he said, while highlighting the importance of work-life balance.
NEW ZEALAND
HYBRID WORK INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY IN NEW ZEALAND
ABOUT 83.2% OF NEW ZEALAND employees say the ability to work from anywhere has made them happier and more productive, according to a Cisco study, which highlighted how hybrid working has helped to improve employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and performance across the world.
However, more needs to be done to build an inclusive culture and fully embed hybrid work arrangements to boost readiness levels and enhance employee experience.
While 61.3% of New Zealand employees believe that the quality of their work has improved because of hybrid work, only 26.1% think that their company is ‘very prepared’ for a hybrid work future.
SINGAPORE
EMPLOYEES IN SINGAPORE URGED TO IDENTIFY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
AS THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT invests in schemes to reskill and train workers, they must also learn to identify career opportunities in the economy, set long-term career goals and take proactive steps towards achieving them, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.
He added that the government plans to utilise data and artificial intelligence (AI) to generate personalised career insights, so workers have information on what opportunities are available and the pathways to get there.
