Kuwait has said it will reduce foreign workers by 100,000 a year, while hundreds of thousands of companies in Saudi Arabia faced a deadline last month to meet the proscribed quota of Saudi employees or risk having their licences removed. Continue reading »
Thailand’s migrant worker plan: an unnecessary headache
Thailand’s attempt to register around 1.5m illegal migrant workers by the middle of next month is causing more problems than it might solve.
The deadline for workers to apply for permits has been extended – but with employers reluctant to apply on behalf of workers, and workers forced to jump through several expensive bureaucratic hoops, there are still 1m yet to complete their registration. Hanging over the process is the threat of deportation – and worries for business. Continue reading »
Guest post: Hungary’s plan for jobs
By Zoltán Cséfalvay of Hungary’s economy ministry
There is a consensus among politicians worldwide of the need to create jobs. The only question open to debate is exactly how to create them.
In the EU, job creation policies rarely make it into the headlines. There are twice as many people without work in the EU than in the US – 25m, a joblessness rate of 10.4 per cent, reaching almost 25 per cent in Spain. Yet politicians struggle when it comes to talking about jobs. Continue reading »
Saudi Arabia: still worried about youth employment
Halwani Bros, a Saudi food producer, seems to think it has a recipe for labour market transformation – beyond the dense, sesame halawa dessert, for which it is famous. The 60-year-old, Riyadh-listed company has set a minimum wage of SAR3,000 ($800) per month for Saudi employees, according to a report in Arab News.
The move may only benefit 80 nationals employed at food production plants across the kingdom, as well as 50 more that the company plans to hire – but the decision could have far-reaching ramifications for other Saudis. Continue reading »
Guest post: Slovakia’s time warp is a step to the left
By Otilia Simkova of Eurasia Group
The first 100 days in power for Slovakia’s Direction–Social Democracy (SMER-SD) government saw a sharp turn to the left that foreshadows an uncomfortable future for investors during Prime Minister Robert Fico’s second four-year term in power.
So what does the vision Fico sold to voters – a strong state imposing order onto unruly private markets and companies – mean in reality? Continue reading »
S Africa: mining safety debate masks deeper problems
Rarely, if ever, will a speech by Susan Shabangu, South Africa’s mineral resources minister, be complete without a reference to safety in the country’s mines.
It is a central theme of the ruling African National Congress, in part because of the dire treatment heaped on black mine workers during the decades of apartheid and discrimination. And last week, as she delivered her department’s budget statement to parliament, Shabangu described the sector’s commitment to health and safety as resembling a “curate’s egg – good in parts, which means lacking overall.” Continue reading »
Poland: the race to cut red tape
Poland’s centre-right government and right-wing opposition usually find very little to agree on, which is what makes this week’s race to deregulate the economy noteworthy.
The first shot was fired by Jaroslaw Gowin, the justice minister, who has embarked on a crusade to slash the number of regulated professions in Poland. The 380 protected trades is the highest number of such jobs in the EU. Continue reading »
Guest post: India needs fewer labour restrictions, not more
By Hemal Shah
The citizens of India, en masse, are forcing their government to face up to the need for reform in one of the most pressing areas — the country’s arcane labour laws. The nation-wide strike of trade unions last week highlights their calls for tighter labour laws, a minimum wage and better working conditions.
The workers’ willingness to speak out to in public should be applauded, but the striking workers are missing the bigger picture by demanding job security rather than job market security. Continue reading »
Email after hours? That’s overtime
Initial reaction to Brazil’s new law introducing overtime payments for after-hours office emails and telephone calls ranged from approval by workers to anger among businesses.
In a land in which labour laws are already highly complicated and the cost of hiring people is steep, the negative reaction from businesses, especially small ones, is understandable. Continue reading »
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