Five of the best articles from People Management’s international websites, from travel restrictions in Qatar to employment insurance in Malaysia
1 Qatar’s Gulf neighbours cut diplomatic ties
Qatar’s neighbours recently imposed new travel restrictions, clamping the free flow of staff and goods between Gulf countries, with huge knock-on effects for the region’s employers. Representatives from Qatari businesses explain what the latest developments mean for recruiting in a market that was already fighting tooth and nail for the top talent.
2 New UAE law puts cap on work permit fines
Organisations in the UAE have been liable for huge penalties if they do not process work permits properly, but now the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has revealed new, more lenient rules regarding work permits. The penalties will be capped at a maximum of Dhs2,000 per employee.
3 The lowest paid in Singapore among most unlikely to get a pay rise last year
The Singaporean government has accepted advice from the National Wages Council to boost pay for basic earners. It was revealed that a large proportion of lower-paid workers in Singapore did not receive pay rises last year, prompting calls from some corners for mandatory pay increases.
4 Malaysia to adopt new employment insurance scheme
The country plans to introduce a mandatory employment insurance scheme next year to protect workers against redundancy – but employers’ groups contend that redundancies are not so serious that the heavy cost is merited. Shamsuddin Bardan, executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, argues that organisations should be left to manage their own retrenchment funds.
5 Asian employers should do more to support single staff
Family-friendly policies such as flexible working hours are popular with employers all over the world, but could workplaces do more to support their single members of staff? The proportion of single people is on the rise as people get married later than they used to. But the perception is that their lives are less complicated and therefore HR policy doesn’t have to cater to them as much.