What measures have been taken to ensure employment (Correspondents Watch)

What measures have been taken to ensure employment (Correspondents Watch)

During the coVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, employment pressure in all countries has increased significantly.Protecting key groups, reducing employment costs, expanding employment channels, strengthening vocational education...Various countries have taken various measures to ensure employment

Spain

Expand vocational education and strengthen skills certification

Our Correspondent in Spain, Jiang Bo

Jose, who is in his 50s, worked as a security guard at a pier in Seville, Spain, for many years.In August, his contract with the dock expired and he had to obtain a security qualification if he wanted to continue looking for a job.Jose has been worried for days that he will struggle to pass the exam.He recently received good news: workers with relevant experience and skills at work can take part in the government's new vocational skill certification and continue to work in related fields after passing it."With vocational skills certification, I can submit my resume to security companies and look for new job opportunities!"Jose breathed a sigh of relief.

This is one of two measures announced recently by the Spanish government to develop vocational education.Nearly half of Spain's nearly 23 million workers lack professional certifications or degrees and are often turned away from changing jobs, according to the census.The new plan will help them get more jobs.More than three million people are expected to benefit from the government's official assessment and certification of 40 percent of workers under 55 who lack qualifications but have work experience and skills over the next four years, according to the plan.

Spain's job market has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.Spain's unemployment rate is likely to rise to around 20% this year, according to the central bank.Therefore, the Spanish government hopes to revitalize the job market by improving the vocational education system so that more workers can work flexibly.At the same time, we will improve the ability of the working population to innovate and promote epidemic prevention and control as well as economic and social development.The government will spend nearly 1.5 billion euros over the next four years.

Another measure of the plan is to expand the enrollment scale of vocational education and increase the coverage of vocational education.The government plans to increase the number of secondary and higher vocational education places by 200,000 so that more workers, especially young workers, can receive systematic vocational education.At present, Spain's job market in low and middle skilled workers account for 35 percent.By 2025, according to the European Centre for Vocational Training and Development, 49 per cent of jobs will require secondary vocational skills and 37 per cent will require advanced vocational skills or higher education degrees.Meanwhile, only 12% of Young Spaniards are in vocational education, far below the OECD average of 25% and the EU average of 29%.Statistics show that Spain received vocational education of youth employment advantage, unemployment rate is less than 8%, far lower than the national youth unemployment rate of more than 30%.

The vocational education program is employment-oriented, allowing individuals to combine different degree courses and develop complex skills according to their own and job needs.The proportion of composite vocational education combining teaching and practice should be increased, the scope of internship enterprises should be expanded, the participation of small, medium and micro enterprises should be increased, and the duration of internship should be extended. Students can receive training according to the needs of enterprises.At the same time, relevant departments have added a large number of digital and new technology-related courses, such as intelligent manufacturing, industrial digital maintenance, network security and communication technology, and will also launch courses such as 3D printing, 5G and artificial intelligence in the future.In addition, the government will cooperate with enterprises and trade unions to open entrepreneurship classrooms in 1,850 vocational education centers across the country to provide consulting services and various resources for students to start their own businesses.

(Via Madrid)

Japan

Loosen employment subsidies to explore Shared employment

Liu Junguo, our correspondent in Japan

Many people in Japan are at risk of losing their jobs as a result of coVID-19.In order to better support the stable employment of small and medium-sized enterprises, the Japanese government has repeatedly relaxed the employment-adjustment subsidy system, and provided subsidies to enterprises that have been hit by the epidemic and insist on not laying off workers.

Japan's employment-adjustment subsidy system began in the 1970s to help struggling companies.The system stipulates that for applicants whose turnover or production drops by more than 10 percent in three months, each employee will receive a daily subsidy of 8,370 yen (15.25 yen) for a maximum of 100 days a year and 150 days in three years.During the epidemic prevention and control period, the Japanese government expanded the scope of subsidy recipients. All enterprises whose turnover or production in the latest month decreased by more than 5% compared with the same period of last year could apply for the subsidy. Meanwhile, April 1, solstice and June 30 were regarded as the emergency response period without affecting the previous limit of the number of days to apply for the subsidy.In June, the government raised the ceiling again and extended the deadline to September 30.The asahi Shimbun reported that 739.9bn yen in employment adjustment subsidies had been spent from March to August 7 this year.The government is also considering extending the subsidy until the end of March.

Jiufu tourism company is a small and medium-sized travel agency with more than 90 employees.The company's general manager, Yoshiko Harada, told the financial Times that the company's turnover in March and April this year was only 10% of the previous year. Since May, it has not even had any revenue, but it has not laid off a single employee.In recent days, the company has received the employment adjustment subsidy from the government, but it is still under great pressure as it has to pay a large amount of social security fees for its employees every month.

The Japanese government and enterprises are also actively exploring the practice of "Shared employment" model.In Japan's tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the outbreak, a large number of employees are unemployed.It's harvest time, but many farms are running out of workers.Hokkaido's Bureau of Economy and Industry has brokered deals for laid-off tourism workers to get involved in agricultural production.The new employer will pay the salary according to working hours, and the employee will return to his/her original position to continue working after the original enterprise resumes work.As of July 31, Hokkaido had 26 companies operating under the system.

Some Japanese scholars and media believe that stable employment should take a long-term view.Employment adjustment subsidies could prevent a large number of people from losing their jobs now, but the outlook for some companies is not good, and if such companies go bankrupt after the subsidies stop, employees will still inevitably lose their jobs, keio University professor Takeshi Tokuchi said.Therefore, the Japanese government should pay attention to the creation of new jobs and guide the labor force to the field of employment expansion.A recent editorial in the Nikkei newspaper argued that the subsidy has its limits given the financial burden.It is particularly important to help the unemployed improve their employability. The government should strengthen vocational training and train more talents in emerging industries such as information technology.

(Tokyo)

Malaysia

Develop gig economy to encourage flexible employment

Our reporter in Thailand Lin Rui

Siti, 35, recently started a "gig" as a driver for the ride-hailing platform Grab in Malaysia."I now earn about 300 ringgit a day, which is less than the regular income I used to earn at work, but I have the freedom to adjust my working hours and have a better work-life balance."

During the implementation of the epidemic prevention "action Control Order" in Malaysia, market demand has decreased and many enterprises have been in trouble. Some full-time employees have been forced to take unpaid leave, reduce work and pay, and even have been laid off.In this context, the gig economy tends to normalize."During the epidemic prevention and control period, major changes have taken place in Malaysia's labor patterns, which will promote the rapid development of the gig economy."Malaysia's transport minister Wei Jiaxiang said.

Gigs are jobs of uncertain duration and include freelancers, independent contractors and part-time workers.Hiring odd jobs increases organizational flexibility and reduces operating costs.In recent years, part-time jobs such as ride-hailing drivers and delivery workers have become an increasingly popular choice for Malaysians.Malaysia bothe university, vice President of the college of human ecology muhammad method, pointed out that with the development of smart phones and digital platform, working odd jobs is becoming more and more diversification, specialization, in addition to the people familiar with the room service, many professional work can also, on the basis of odd jobs such as legal consultation, copy writing, etc.

Flexible employment methods and diversified employment channels make gig economy regarded as one of the best ways to promote economic recovery and solve the employment problem.The government in June launched a rm35bn "short-term economic recovery programme", which includes a rm50m subsidy for gig platform workers."Malaysia now has more than 23,000 food delivery workers and more than 160,000 ride-hailing drivers.Gig workers could make up more than 40 percent of the workforce in the next five years.""Said Mr Raguna, former chairman of the Bar Association of Malaysia.

While the number of employees is growing, social security legislation for gig workers has become a top priority.The employment Ordinance, the country's main labor law, provides basic guarantees such as a minimum wage, public holidays, annual leave and severance arrangements, but only for full-time employees, Laguna said.He argued that the government should set minimum wage standards and limit the percentage of platform income to protect the interests of casual workers.Liang Meimei, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monash University in Malaysia, suggested that odd jobs could be classified as "employees" to enjoy benefits such as overtime allowances and paid leave.The Malaysian government will take measures to boost the gig economy and provide social security for gig workers, statistics Malaysia's chief Uzr said.

As communications technology advances, telecommuting and Shared workspaces become more common, gig work will become an important mode of labor in the future, many experts say.Only by strengthening professional skills and improving professional level can practitioners broaden the range of career choices and development space.

(Via Bangkok)

Russia

Build docking platform to increase practice opportunities

Our Russia correspondent Qupe

"Covid-19 has made it even more difficult to get a job this year, especially for those of us who are new to school."Like most recent graduates, Mr. Toural, a master's student at Moscow University's Law school who graduated this summer, has struggled to find work.Some 410,000 university graduates entered the labor market this year, according to the Federal Ministry of Science and Higher Education.The epidemic has reduced the need for companies to recruit, while the number of graduates remains huge and competition is fierce.

Fortunately, Mr. Toural found an even quicker way to find a job: Maeil Law school has set up a job discussion group on Russian social media, where many companies with hiring plans post job openings."Direct contact with enterprises effectively solves the problem of information asymmetry faced by job seekers."Tural used the group to submit his resume and successfully landed a legal position at a Russian telecommunications company, starting a probationary period.

To help graduates find jobs as soon as possible, universities and colleges in Russia have been actively promoting employment this year, strengthening interactions with employers and establishing more contact mechanisms.Enter the career and career center of Official website of Moscow University, can see alumnus club, job fair, website of invite applications for a job of all sorts of channels such as website, the employment that faces a student guides information, as well as the job option that great and its accessory science and technology park offer.According to the Government website, There are 207 vocational and job centres in Russian universities, helping about 60 per cent of graduates find jobs each year.

Due to the general lack of practical work experience, graduates are often at a disadvantage in the recruitment process.According to the National Institute of Labor Research, 23 percent of young people are facing unemployment.In order to provide more practical opportunities for young people, the Ministry of Labor of Russia has set up an internship information gathering platform for young talents based on the "Work in Russia" portal.Graduates and young scholars can look for internships and formal jobs on the platform, as well as review labor contracts and sign electronic contracts with employers.Ilya, director of the Coordination Center for Economic Recovery of the Russian People's Front, proposed that companies that offer internships to students and hire them in 2020 will be provided with funds up to three times the minimum wage if their graduates stay on the job for at least a year, the Russian daily reported.

According to the Russian government's website, 28 regions in Russia have launched employment support programs in line with local conditions, with local enterprises offering new graduates paid internships of between two and six months.At the beginning of August, Moscow launched a social work internship program for graduates. Graduates of 2019 and 2020 can apply for three-month internships in rehabilitation centers, educational institutions, clinics, social service centers, etc., and have the opportunity to get a full-time job after their internship ends.Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd and other places are also offering job quotas for young talents who graduate this year.

Pushing college graduates to stay in research is another way to boost employment.Through cooperation with universities and research institutions, the ministry has provided more than 5,000 research engineers, laboratory assistants and other positions for the class of 2020, and proposed subsidies for the universities that receive these graduates, said Nikolai Falkov, minister of Science and Higher Education.