Changes to Singapore Employment Act

While many pieces of Singapore’s Employment Act were adapted to reflect a more modern standard, the biggest piece that changed and the one generating the most discussion has been the newly created ability for employees to follow through with wrongful dismissal claims against their employers. While some facets of wrongful dismissal were accounted for before the amendments were passed, the distinction of cases that could apply as wrongful dismissal were identified in an attempt to clarify what was eligible and decrease the frequency of these claims while increasing the rights of the employees in Singapore.

How China is Hiring in the World’s Largest Labor Market

Even though China is the most populous country in the world, their government and leaders of industry are increasingly concerned about China’s working-age population which has, of late, been shrinking each year.

Furthermore, the effects of the trade war between China and the United States in the form of tariffs on imports, has made it easy to imagine that in an environment of uncertainty and overall economic slowdown, there will be negative effects on the Chinese labor market. The current issues created by the trade war have also increased the Chinese government’s investment in their small to medium sized enterprises with new tax reductions and other benefits in order to provide the Chinese economy with more stability.

Protecting Workers in the Gig Economy

New legislation created by the European Parliament recently approved new rules to further protect those working in the gig economy. The gig economy is becoming more prevalent as a standard workplace where increasingly, organizations are seeking to hire individuals for specific pieces of work, or gigs. This method of hiring individuals can be very effective for an employer, especially if they are looking for a specific skill, but do not have the means or need to hire an employee for full time or long-term work.

Boosting Saudi Arabia’s Economy with Foreign Workers

In considering other ways to diversify their oil-based economy, Saudi Arabia’s government is proposing a new economic reform program based on attracting skilled foreign workers to the country.

Saudi Arabia recently passed a new law in May of 2019 offering two different types of residencies to foreign workers. The first option is a permanent residency, while the second is a program based on annual renewals. Given how recently the law was passed, interested applicants are still waiting for the government to release more information about the details and conditions for these new options.

100 Years of the International Labour Organization

In the year 1919, the International Labour Organization (ILO) was founded in the aftermath of World War I, as a part of the Treaty of Versailles to create objectives based on social justice foundations in order to establish universal standards for fair and reasonable working conditions for all employees around the world.

Abolishing Nigerian Child Labor

Based on recent developments in Nigeria, the International Labour Organization is working collaboratively with the government to establish a variety of plans to eliminate the child labor that currently exists within its borders. Some supply chains in Africa have been notorious for using child labor to cheaply increase productivity and output for their organizations.