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Jobs

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.
Members of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union shouts slogans during a joint strike rally in front of the Hyundai Motor headquarters in Seoul on Friday. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea’s Hyundai, union agree on tentative wage deal after rare strike

Around 40,000 out of roughly 73,000 employees walked off the job on Friday in the first such strike action for a decade.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

China jobs

Opinion | China’s falling gaokao numbers offer a revealing snapshot

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong jobless rate steady at 3.7% since start of 2026 but pressure mounts

Fresh graduates and school leavers entering job market may pose some pressure on the unemployment rate, labour chief warns.

Residents check out a recent job fair in Mong Kok. Photo: Karma Lo
Bangladesh

Bangladesh rolls out women-only pink buses

The service is operated by women, for women, creating a safe, female-only space on the go.

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China jobs

Record graduate influx lifts China’s youth jobless rate to 17.9% in July

An estimated 12.7 million university graduates have entered the job market this summer.

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Japan

Greyest village in Japan turns to Peru sister city to plug worker shortage

Most of Nanmoku villagers are above 65 while Belen has a population of about 80,000, many of them young.

Saijo Hasegawa, mayor of Nanmoku, looks at a river near a roadside station in the Gunma prefecture village on August 3. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore

Singapore’s universities race to embrace AI as job demands transform

More employers are emphasising AI literacy and are willing to pay more for graduates with the relevant skills, analysts say.

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Australia

Australia slows down ‘backpacker visas’ in fresh migration crackdown

The visas, which allow people to work and travel in Australia for a set period of time, are popular with European and Japanese citizens.

Chinese overseas

Why are some Chinese students choosing Spain despite its tough job market?

Relatively low tuition rates and a more relaxed lifestyle appeal to young adults, while scarce work, high rents and expanding Chinese investment shape their prospects.

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A pair of people are seen enjoying ice cream in Spain. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Letters | How to learn crucial skills for future success as graduate jobs tank

Readers discuss the career skills that were once learned at entry level, and employment support measures for those with disabilities.

Starting at the bottom of the employment ladder was never only a job. It was how people learned essential skills for climbing the ladder but now it is being taken away. Photo: Shutterstock
Asean

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say.

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India

Opinion | China found the word India’s ‘cockroach’ protests missed

China’s crisis crept in over years, slow enough for a society to find a term for the phenomenon and debate it, while India’s arose over a single exam season.

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Hong Kong society

72% of Hong Kong professionals regularly use AI, double global average: survey

But HKUST study also finds that junior employees harbour deeper anxiety over job security amid AI’s growing adoption.

About 72.7 per cent of respondents said they used AI tools at work on a daily or weekly basis, compared with a global average of 31 per cent cited in a 2025 KPMG study. Photo: Sam Tsang
Vietnam

Vietnam pays the price at home for sending workers abroad

Between 130,000 and 150,000 Vietnamese go abroad to work annually, leaving seafood and garment sectors scrabbling for labourers.

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Workers stitch clothes at a garment factory in Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen province last year. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong politics

5-year plan to create more jobs, help young people with housing: John Lee

City leader says government is paying close attention to youth employment, while Northern Metropolis presents opportunity for bigger homes.

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China jobs

In Focus | Why foreign workers are still climbing mountains of paperwork for a job in China

Beijing’s rigid visa points system and strict sponsorship rules frustrate young expats, but most are still undeterred in their job search.

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United States

US unexpectedly loses jobs in July, in blow to Trump’s economy claims

This reflects potential weakness in the labour market of the world’s largest economy after months of steady growth.

A hiring sign for sales professionals is displayed at a store, in Vernon Hills, Illinois state in the US in April. Photo: AP
Japan

Japan proposes tougher income rules for permanent residency

Applicants have to maintain annual household income above the average for Japanese households under the new rules.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | How East Asia’s internet cafes became a cheap urban refuge

An informal safety net, these cafes offer gig workers and those between jobs crucial breathing space.

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South Korea

South Korean graduates look to Japan to beat job shortage at home

Last year, 2,257 young South Koreans took jobs in Japan, marking a 47 per cent jump from 2024 and making Japan their top work destination.

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South Korean jobseekers take part in a group interview with representatives of a Japanese company during a job fair in Seoul on July 12. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Filipino housekeepers mop up growing demand across Japan

Japan’s housekeeping services market has been expanding as the number of dual-income households increases.

A Filipino worker washes dishes at her first housekeeping assignment in Musashino, Tokyo, in February. Photo: Kyodo
China jobs

Stronger social security? Gig workers push back on proposed law

With China’s flexible workforce estimated at nearly 300 million, Beijing pledges to strengthen their safety, wages and basic social security.

Banking & finance

Finance firms set to pour more into AI amid ‘data divide’ fears

A majority of surveyed asset managers said they would raise their AI budgets next year, affecting data management and workforce dynamics.

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Technology

Opinion | In an era defined by AI, can work still be measured by the clock?

From Seoul to Taipei, Tokyo to Beijing, Asia is running a 21st century economy on a labour contract designed for the 20th century.

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Students majoring in semiconductor engineering demonstrate an aligner at Korea University in Seoul on June 11. South Korea, aims to supercharge its chip industry. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

South Korea rethinks Yellow Envelope Act as labour union demands mount

Without clearer boundaries, the revised act could fuel labour disputes and create uncertainty for businesses and the economy, critics warn.

Members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold signs reading “basic labour rights” during a rally in Seoul on July 16. Photo: EPA
China society

Opinion | Why China’s low-cost business model resists reform

Even as the model outlives its usefulness, built-in incentives continue to stifle efforts to protect the rights and interests of workers.

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China jobs

China’s youth jobless rate edges down in June for third consecutive month

The jobless rate for 16- to 24-year-olds fell for the third month, though China’s broader labour market faces headwinds.

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