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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.
Migrant workers in the back of an open lorry in Singapore on December 6, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore

Singapore steps up migrant worker reforms amid calls for deeper change

The government has rolled out a slew of new initiatives, such as improved safety and living conditions and better healthcare access.

United States

US job growth slows amid AI and tariffs, Fed likely to hold rates steady

Technology

Singapore, Beijing land in top 10 of Savills’ Matcha Index of global tech cities

Japan

Canning old ways: how Japan is rethinking foreign labour

Tawara Canning has managed to maintain its workforce by offering foreigners places to stay and a chance to integrate with the community.

Vietnamese technical intern trainees work alongside Japanese employees at Tawara Canning in Choshi, Chiba prefecture. Photo: Kyodo
China jobs

What are China’s hottest jobs as AI reshapes the labour market?

The structural shift in China’s labour market will make digital skills mandatory as new opportunities emerge and traditional work tapers off.

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Human rights

Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.

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United States

Trump’s US$100,000 H-1B visa fee upheld by judge, as lottery system ends

The US awards 85,000 H-1B visas annually via lottery, with Indian nationals accounting for nearly three-quarters of recipients.

US President Donald Trump displays an executive order creating the “Trump Gold Card” and introducing a fee of US$100,000 for H-1B visas in the Oval Office in September. Photo: TNS
Singapore

Singapore’s young graduates feel the heat in ‘draining’ job hunt

A dearth of entry-level jobs has forced some young Singaporeans to pivot to stopgap roles and entrepreneurship.

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North Korea

How North Koreans use ‘laptop farms’ in US to land tech jobs abroad

Amazon said it has blocked more than 1,800 North Korean workers from remote IT jobs, citing a rise in applications.

Japan

Mind your language: Japan considers new fluency bar for permanent residents

While some say Japanese knowledge is a fair demand, others worry it will introduce ‘roadblocks’ at a time when the country needs more workers.

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Visitors don traditional outfits to visit the Sensoji Temple at Asakusa district in Tokyo on Friday. Photo: EPA
South Korea

Vietnamese influx surges as South Korea’s foreign population hits record high

The Vietnamese population in South Korea jumped by 15.5 per cent last year, the fastest growing among major ethnic groups.

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People of different nationalities flock to Myeongdong shopping street in Seoul. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

Opinion | Protection of vulnerable workers must be part of China’s AI strategy

Unemployment and underemployment are a double whammy that the Chinese leadership cannot ignore.

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India

India overhauls controversial rural jobs scheme despite opposition walkout

The scheme increases guaranteed workdays but shifts funding to states, as opposition cries foul over the changes.

China jobs

China’s youth-unemployment rate eases to 16.9% as graduates settle for less

Job market remains plagued by a mismatch between skills and vacancies, pushing more graduates towards blue-collar jobs or gig work.

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Applicants take part in a campus job fair at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Photo: Xinhua
South Korea

Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate

The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.

The death of Vu Tu Anh, a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman, amid a South Korean immigration raid in October has intensified scrutiny on the country’s restrictive work visa rules for international students who graduate from local universities. Photo: handout
Food and Drinks

Need restaurant staff? Shift Happens is here to help

Since the pandemic, restaurants have had trouble finding staff – Roucou Cheese Omakase & Bar is among those that turned to Shift Happens.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong jobless rate unchanged at 3.8% on back of ‘solid’ economic expansion

Improving consumer confidence, economic growth supporting overall market but some sectors may remain under pressure, labour chief says.

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Artificial intelligence

ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

ByteDance tops rivals Meituan and Alibaba in recruitments this year, according to professional social networking platform Maimai.

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ByteDance is the leading recruiter of tech talent in mainland China this year. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
India

In India, tycoon’s call to adopt ‘996’ work culture in China spurs debate

India’s parliament is debating a new law to allow staff the ‘right to disconnect’ from workplace communications after their official hours.

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Africa

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

To truly harness their potential, countries across the continent seeking to industrialise must develop education and infrastructure in tandem.

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China jobs

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Technology

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

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The automated Seres Super Factory fpr electric vehicles in Liangjiang New Area, southwest China’s Chongqing, on September 19. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

Asia makes the chips driving the AI boom, but the technology threatens to erase jobs and widen the region’s wealth gap, a new UN report says.

Malaysia

Malaysia promises millions of gig workers a safety net, but critics see holes

A new law would mandate written contracts and dispute resolution, but labour groups argue it still leaves workers at the mercy of algorithms.

Artificial intelligence

Letters | To prevent an AI job apocalypse, take a leaf from immigration policy

Readers discuss managing AI like foreign hires, rewilding open spaces in Hong Kong, and economic rebalancing.

Immigration officers escort suspected illegal workers from a renovation site in Tuen Mun on January 7. Photo: Jelly Tse
China society

Opinion | Elite success stories are cold comfort for disillusioned young workers

The backlash over a tycoon’s letter to overburdened staff during his trip to Antarctica reveals a fissure beyond a generational divide.

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University graduates stroll through a job fair held at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University on September 26. Photo: Xinhua
China jobs

Youth unfulfilled: job opportunities in China’s senior-care sector go untapped

Amid booming opportunities in the care economy as China’s population gets older, new graduates express concerns over low wages and unfamiliarity with the field.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Will AI kill the middle class?

When the creators of a new technology warn that it could destroy the primary engine of global growth of the past half a century, it’s worth paying attention.

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