China Staff articles from October 2006

China Staff archives from October 2006

Ageing workforce crisis looms: employers in East Asia's booming economies face a series of challenges, from funding the retirement and healthcare needs of their ageing workforces to attracting and retaining qualified talent.(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... A significant and widely recognised demographic shift is taking place in countries with mature economies such as Japan, North America and Western Europe. Owing to the baby boom that hit these nations in the post-World War II era, the number of...

Extreme talent: management training at HSBC: select a group of high-performing, highly-motivated young graduates, stretch them to the peak of their capabilities and two years later, you'll have a home-grown, ready-made management team. That's the vision behind MI6, the HSBC Global Payment and Cash Management department's new management training scheme, as Liana Cafolla finds out.(Case Study)(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)
October 1, 2006... Known as MI6--Management Interns '06--,the programme has recruited eight trainees, four men and four women, aged between 21 and 23. They are graduates of marketing, management studies, biomedical engineering, human resources, finance, global...

The art of talent scouting.(Talent Management)(Vivian Lo of Prudential Corporation PLC)(Richard Smith of Eli Lilly and Co.)(Carmen Law of Intel Semiconductor of Canada Ltd.)
October 1, 2006... Should you approach strangers on the street? Give your card to likely-looking candidates at other people's recruitment seminars? Or take a long-term approach and concentrate on building relationships? When you're looking for talent, the only...

Putting the "life" back into employees: Towers Perrin's recent survey found that companies are introducing a variety of work life balance initiatives as a means of keeping employees on their payroll.(Work Life Balance)(Survey)
October 1, 2006... Work life balance means many different things to many people. The term was coined in response to the increasingly stressful nature of corporate life, mainly as a result of the cost-cutting strategies employed by companies, i.e. leaner...

Global mobility driving more commuter assignments: a report on commuter and rotational assignments policy reveals the potential risks and pitfalls for companies rushing to embrace new ways of working. ECA International's Lee Quane explains the findings in an interview.(Expatriate Management)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... More companies today are turning to commuter assignments and its alternative work patterns to fulfil their business interests. Commuter assignments happen when employees remain employed in the home country but work in another country for a...

Employee blogging: Pattie Walsh discusses the ramifications of workplace-related blogging for employers and employees.(Hong Kong Employment Watch)
October 1, 2006... Q: We are a well-known multi-national company operating in a high-profile consumer goods market. Our brand names are well known, and our reputation in the marketplace is extremely important to us. Whilst surfing the Internet for consumer...

Liquidated damages in a breach of contract: Chinese labour law permits provisions for liquidated damages in breached employment contracts but little detailed law is available at the national level. Graham Brown and Wei Xin outline the local regulations in Beijing and Shanghai.(Labour Law Forum)
October 1, 2006... Q: I am the HR manager in our company. I once attended one of your talks and I remember you commented upon setting an agreed amount of compensation for a breach of the employment contract. Unfortunately, I do not recall all of the details....

External inequity top reason for attrition in Asia.(Data Page)(Survey)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Hewitt's Attrition and Retention Study Asia Pacific 2006 revealed the number one reason for attrition in the region is inequity of compensation, with 22% of participating organisations saying they had lost employees to organisations offering...

Big Four invests in employee welfare and training to keep staff.(Hong Kong News)(Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu)(KPMG Huazhen)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A part from competitive salaries, the Big Four and midtier firms have introduced employee welfare programs to reduce staff turnover. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu reportedly launched an employee assistance program across offices in HK and...

Slower economy may prompt pay rise cap at 2.5%.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... With global growth generally expected to slow later his year and next year, especially in the US, this will impact the volume of goods imported from major trading partners like Hong Kong and Mainland China. Such looming prospects have...

191 job losses from Dragonair takeover.(Mergers and acquisitions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Although cockpit and cabin crew ere spared, nearly 200 Dragonair staff will be made redundant under a HK$30 million compensation package following the airline's acquisition by Cathay Pacific. The Hong Kong Economic Times reported that 191 job...

Loan waived for 'go west' graduates.(China News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Students who rely on State loans to finish their university studies may have their loans waived by the Ministry of Education if they go to work in Chinas western or remote areas. China Daily reported that the loan, up to RMB 24,000 per...

Underpaying companies face punishment.(salary for workers )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The labour authority in Shenzhen has launched a three-month campaign to punish firms who avoid paying the compulsory minimum salary to employees. Kin Wah Watch (Shenzhen), a Hong Kong-funded watch manufacturer in Nantou District of west...

Talent, infrastructure boost software outsourcing firms.(China News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... China's improved infrastructure, rich talent resources and government support will see it close ranks with India as outsourcing centre in the region. China now has 12% of all global software outsourcing, up from 7% two years ago. India's...

Migrant Asian workers at extreme ends of job spectrum.(World at a Glance)
October 1, 2006... ASIA--Be it "3-D" jobs that are considered "dirty, dangerous and difficult" and are shunned by locals, or highly skilled and professional ones, Asian migrants are increasingly found to take up such jobs. Besides Indian software engineers...

Japanese companies reluctant to hire part-time workers full-time.(World at a Glance)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 1, 2006... JAPAN--Most companies in Japan are reluctant to hire part-time workers full-time although they are short of employees, a poll by an influential business lobby has found. The Japan Business Federation polled senior officials in charge of...

Bosses back annual wage increase bill.(World at a Glance)(Legislation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... THAILAND--Labour representatives welcomed the Wage Bill, which requires employers to increase the minimum wage every year. Sripothi Vayupak, a labour representative, said the legislation should also impose punishment for employers who refuse to...